


“If I Cut Out a Heart...”

by Typosmyown



Category: One Direction
Genre: Anal Sex, Arse Worship, Assault, Bottom Louis, Child Abandonment, Dubious Consent, Happily-Larry-Everafter, Harry Styles Has a Large Cock, M/M, Plot With Porn, Porn With Plot, Rough Sex, Threesomes, Top Harry, Top Liam, Top Niall, Top Zayn, bad mystery writing, blowjobs...public/private, emotion/psychological abuse, handjobs ...public/private, headcase stripper Louis, live porn Louis, multiple character deaths, read the remaining tags please, reluctant strip club owner Harry, sex ...public/private, shameless misuse of furniture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:30:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 65,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21793267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Typosmyown/pseuds/Typosmyown
Summary: For @Bottom_Louis Fic_Fest_2019Prompt #168Stripper au! louis is a stripper who’s known for his huge ass. he works at a club owned by harry and everyone wants to fuck him. eventually louis has sex with each of the boys, separately and perhaps eventually all together in a big gang bang. lots of focus on louis’s big bum (even twerking, jiggling, etc.)
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, LouisTomlinson/Shawn Mendez, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik/Liam Payne/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 34
Kudos: 85
Collections: Bottom Louis Fic Fest 2019





	1. Two Models

**Author's Note:**

> There are not thanks enough for the Mods of the Bottom Louis Fic Fest for so much patience and encouragement! Also thank you to the person who submitted this prompt. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis  
Effective 6June2020 a Beta scrub is coming to this fiction which it badly needs. 
> 
> It’s big job. Each chapter will identify if it has had the Beta touches. Thanks Babypinklouis!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to Harry Styles. Reluctantly taking the helm of ownership of a gay strip club describes to a Barrister the start of events before he learns the scope of the the mystery surrounding his missing step-father.  
***  
Thanks to @babypinklouis for contributions to this chapter ~ Typos

Harry takes the stairs to his barrister’s office because he doesn’t want to see the insides of four confined walls as that will give him too much imagery, a strong look at the challenge ahead if he fails for his lover. Who would think someone so young could commit murder? And more than once?

Can Harry sort through so many entanglements and do something to free one not deserving of that sentence? 

With the barrister’s help perhaps so. 

*** 

“Mr Styles, come in,” Barrister Grant says taking Harry’s hand after his assistant shows Harry in. “Can we get you anything to drink? Water, coffee, tea?” 

“Water would be nice. And call me Harry, please.” 

“Certainly, Harry. And if it makes this easier for you, please call be Hugh, and please have a seat.” 

The assistant brings Harry some water. Harry worries how much Grant’s assistant knows about him. The whole story is embarrassingly twisted and convoluted. Harry has selected this legal representative because Grant has been a supporter of the LGBTQ community, successful in many of his other trials. Harry hopes the barrister won’t be too uncomfortable by the graphic nature of events. When it comes to Louis, everything becomes tied to sex. Lots of it. Usually the kinkier stuff. 

“Okay Harry, like I said in earlier phone conversations, I want to record the narrative of Louis’ story, for sake of synthesizing a best defense for your friend. As long as you are comfortable, go ahead and start from the beginning. I have notes to confirm key individuals, so you can restate who the players are as you like but if you forget to during this deposition, I’ve got the notes from earlier to refer to. Take your time. Start at the beginning. Use as much detail as you’d like. How about starting with when you first met? I’m presuming when you took over your father’s role at the strip club, right?” 

“Yes. Well no, actually, the very time we first met was at a club across the street before I committed to the take-over. May I just say before we start that I want to reiterate how I never saw the world the same way my step-father did. To be honest I never understood him. Until all this happened...

“I was to assume ownership, on my mother’s behalf after my father had been missing for months. The authorities said the investigation had gone cold. It was early afternoon, I decided to have a drink to chill my nerves. I knew that Liam Payne, the club manager, was waiting for me at my father’s strip club. I decided to have the drink at a neighboring club, a dance-club kinda place across the street. It was early, earlier than most people would go out for clubbing. Only two people were on the dance floor, two lads actually.

“I really needed the drink. The thing was that I had always kept it on the down low that I like men. Being an owner of a gay strip club is a massive conflict if I’m going to… you know, live closeted. So there I was, having the drink, contemplating these thoughts and it’s impossible to not notice the couple, the only couple dancing, at this weirdly early hour. 

”The music playing was not so slow in tempo that it should be appropriate for slow dancing, yet the two of them are slowly moving together, making out more than dancing. One of them with dark hair, dressed in an edgy attire, has his arms around the other, a smaller lad with messy brown hair as he gropes the smaller lad’s arse like they are alone. It is no mild grope mind you, it is both hands plunged deep inside the pants of the smaller lad. It seems like a challenge to do this, since the pants of the messy-haired, smaller lad look so tight. It was difficult to avoid watching them, because, um dat ass...

“The dark haired lad turns the smaller one around while keeping his little thing in his arms, making his butt to be pressed against the dark one’s crotch. In their new dance position, they begin to kiss while their bodies slowly wave together on the dance floor. The little one with the messy fringe has to strain to reach over his shoulder to kiss the dark haired one.

“This repositioning gives me a better view of both their features. I was thinking these two must be models. There is simply no other way to describe how distinctly different their perfect features are of each other. Both so very defined, so architectural, so completely flawless. As I study them, the one who looks like a Dark-model moves one of his hands down to Small-model’s crotch. He rubs his hand over the smaller lad’s pants. His other hand goes up, under the smaller lad’s shirt, perhaps to seek a nipple. This gives me a peek at some more skin, skin that like the smaller lad’s other exposed areas, are a silky, smooth caramel-honey-color as if this model bathes in sun as a routine.

“Once the Dark Model squeezes his hand that was initially crotch-stroking into the non-existent space between skin and pants, the Small Model breaks their kiss, in his dazed, cuddled-state he chances a look straight ahead. This lands his glance right on me.

“I see it like, like..I don’t know how to describe but the small one loses his dazed expression instantaneously when his eyes meet mine. His eyes-widen, his mouth no longer occupied with the Dark Model’s lips drops open. He stares at me. Despite having the dark-one’s lips on his neck, nuzzling, his dance partner’s hand dipped into his pants groping his prick, the little one stares until something like a jilt, looks to have struck him.

“I was astonished as the Small Model literally slaps the dark-one off of him, abandons his gorgeous dance partner and walks assertively up to me. Coming to stand so close to me as if he was invited, this lad takes ahold of a lock of my hair, coils it around his finger. He coyly asks something like, ‘And you are?’

“‘Harry’ I answer him as my stomachs flips, my chest becomes tight. I literally cannot breathe. This creature is so bold and so very pretty.

“I’m gobsmacked, having said my name to which he says something like, ‘Harry. Handsome Harry with green eyes, dimples, much too perfect lips to have not been done by me, maybe the most gorgeous thing on two legs...haven’t seen you here before.’

“The dark one comes to the small one’s side before I can fathom an answer.

“‘Who do we have here?’ He asked. His cool dark eyes were surveying me as the small one continues deliberately playing with my hair.

“‘Harry, he calls himself Harry, I want him Zayn.’

“This had Zayn coughing out a small laugh at the petulant demand of the small one as he asked ‘What makes you think he’s gay? Do we know? Shouldn’t we ask first?’

“The small-one slapped Zayn. It’s another playful, dismissively light slap. So light it doesn't even cause the small one to have to let go of my hair.

“‘It doesn’t matter,’ Small Model says, ‘he’ll go gay for me. I want him. Get him for me.’

“What came over me was a strangely odd fear. I’m not ready to own a gay strip club, much less be known as the gay owner of a gay strip club. So I try to dismiss this small, demanding thing away. I said something like ‘Whoever you are, I’m not available, so should you stop right there.’

“This Small Model, with these bright blue eyes, pretty pink lips, adorably tiny features for a lad becomes clouded in a sort of hurt expression. His boyfriend, or whatever, Zayn resumed wrapping the little one in his arms, pulling the Small Model against him with protective ownership. The little one never stops looking at me, even though I rejected him. My guess was that rejection wasn’t a thing that happens to the Small Model very often.

“Zayn made sure to make his comment heard before he pulled the Small Model away from me, to the dance floor, saying something like ‘His cock probably isn't big enough for you baby, come on. I’ll fuck you, even though I’m guessing Niall already did that before his shift. Okay babe?’

“It was oddly irritating to me the instant the Dark Model Zayn took the aggressive little cock-slut model one away from me. I watched the two of them. It was certainly not the false narrative that I’m not well hung that annoyed me so much. I think it was the way Zayn had his hands all over the small, sassy model in a very territorial claiming. With the exotic good looks, Zayn reminded me of some eight armed Indian God. Based on the way his hands roamed over his mate once they resumed their dance, I was overwhelmed with… frustration. Almost a conflicting irritation by experiencing that feeling of frustration.  


”So I left. I was late for my meeting across the street and feeling no more at ease about fulfilling my mum’s request for me to take over running the business.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Harry Styles, Dark Model, Small Model, Hugh Grant
> 
> Perspective Harry’s, first person continues next chapter.
> 
> Introduction to Harry Styles. Reluctantly taking the helm of ownership of a gay strip club describes to a Barrister the start of events before he learns the scope of the the mystery surrounding his missing step-father.  
***


	2. Reluctant Owner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry describes to a lawyer what happened when he goes to his new business where he meets Niall and Liam along with other strip club employees.
> 
> ***
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

“Across the street I go to the side door of the club knowing this is the entrance I should use. I don’t need to use keys; it’s unlocked because I was expected there an hour earlier. Greeting me immediately is a lad about my age, Niall. His thick Irish accent, warm smile is maybe why it hadn’t occured to me at that he had the same name the bloke Zayn and the Aggressive Pixie mentioned when I was across the street. Maybe, feeling overwhelmed minute before it felt so good that the Niall at the strip club is very nice, says they are ‘all excited to meet me’. After a friendly handshake he says ‘Liam is in his, Liam’s, office before correcting that to my, or ‘-er, yer office’. I follow Niall, curious how old this lad is since he can’t be much older than me. Given his friendly nature, his very hetero-vibe I’m not sure what his job at the club entails.. he didn’t seem like a stripper-type. Before I can ask Niall fills in the information on himself. 

“‘I’m a bartender in case your wondering. The club usually has one of us here early to set up, additional bartenders and servers come on later near opening hours. What time the talent arrives to the club will vary, but then you probably know all that since this is your family’s business’. As soon as Niall says that last part I need to correct the idea that know anything, or that I’m happy about this. I don’t want any association with a gay strip club. I am hoping to hide my personal sexual preference. 

“As we wander through the behind the scenes of the club I notice this or that. You know, especially if it is anything that is, well, ‘all that gay’. How can I not? I don’t want to be here, there, I mean. To be perfectly clear, this is way before I knew how deep into the rabbit hole I was going to sink. On day one, at the strip club only because my mum asked me to, from the beginning I never wanted to be there. This is well before I knew there were going to be mysteries surrounding the death of two strippers, deaths that happened years before my step-father disappeared. 

“Niall looks like he was about to say something more, when I became defensive, I clarify my position. I say to Niall that I knew nothing about the business, my father...I think I called him my father, not my step-father. I know that I made it a point to say how we were never, never close. I made sure that Niall knew I went from a private boarding school to Uni and had no intertest in the club. I was entirely uncomfortable with the situation. 

“Also I distinctly recall like it was yesterday how Niall stopped in his tracks. He studied my face before he asked me to specify what I was ‘so uncomfortable with’. Strippers or ‘g-a-y strippers?’ He emphasized that. The gay part. If I had been smart, I would have taken the meeting the two lads across the street and then Niall as signs, warnings, coincidences too tight. Probably I would have avoided all this. But then we wouldn’t be here dealing working on his behalf while he sits waiting for justice contained between four small walls... 

Harry takes a deep breath. Hugh refills his water. Questions if he’d prefer some other beverage, to which Harry says he’d like some tea perhaps. 

“Strippers. Any strippers. Straight, gay, whatever, I think I told Niall that I believe they are the type of people who are abused. I don’t like the idea of making money on their hardship. Family business or not. 

“For certain I remember how Niall smiled a genuine warm smile as he took my arm. Leading me a little farther along the corridor where we pass a series of framed portraits lining the corridor the walls. These are pictures of the stripper talent. Lots of them of different types, races. Each looking like a fantasy of some sort. Niall walked me slowly like he wanted me to have the opportunity to see them before he took issue with my thinking. 

“Niall takes a bold stance. Launches into telling me that these are my employees; the dancers, strippers. He throws back at me that I define them as the ‘the abused’. He then makes the point to reemphasize how they are family. Niall chides me for thinking this as a low station in life for them and informs me how for a lot of these people this is their only option. They make good money, he insist. ‘They are safe here.’ Niall said of the club’s strippers. 

“This is where I am stopped by one image as we pass the one picture on the wall that is the odd one out. All the other photos of the dancers, show their face or their entire, attractive bodies but the one that makes me halt is quite different. It only features a bare bum, full and round held in a pair of the stripper’s own hands which have pulled cheeks to part them. This is literally a hands-full task at the booty on this one is proportionally big for the delicate hands. The arse is flawlessly smooth, perfectly shaped down to the beauty of the dimples above the full cheeks. At the center of this picture is what the parted cheeks is meant to reveal; a perfect, petal-pink tiny hole. It catches the light in the color photo nicely because it glistens like right before the picture was snapped it was licked to be captured wet. 

“The name under this dancer’s photo? Louis the Tommo Tease. 

“Niall hesitates by this particular stripper’s picture with me like to give me the time to have full impact in this strange choice of staging a stripper’s photo before he explains just what it is that I am looking at. 

“Niall tells me how ‘Tommo, Louis, is the star, the money. This club, everyone else who works here, orbits him like he is the sun. Niall also says that Louis is off work this night tonight so I won’t meet him yet. Niall adds that given how I was not entirely comfortable with strippers it is probably best for me to be ‘eased in’. He emphasizes that The Tommo’s acts are not like any of the other performers. 

“My next stop is meeting Liam. Again, like Niall, Liam doesn’t seem any older than me. He’s a nice looking with a trim beard that defines his face. His choice of attire is a polo style shirt, a leather belt, trousers with a slight pleating at the front. Every detail is immaculately stating he is a posh dresser not too determined to show off what looks to be a very a fit body. He greets me warmly. 

”After a few minutes of conversation about my father, Liam expressing concern for how my mum and sister are dealing with things, Liam asks me what my thoughts are. Particularly he is curious about the whereabouts of my father. I simply told him I was hoping that with being at the club I would gather any information that suggests anything with the club activities had something to do with his disappearance. I openly and honesty confide to Liam, like I did with Niall, that I am reluctant to be taking a role in the exotic dancer business, how I didn’t see it as a valid business, considers it prompting damaging behaviors. I went on to tell him that if my mum were not desperate keep to this establishment I would shut it down. End of it. 

“Liam takes the same stance as Niall. 

“He told me something like ‘Shutting the club down my seem like a way to clean up the underbelly of the world but it would put a lot of good people on the street. Would you mind if we talk about those feelings with me after you’ve, I’ve, had time to learn the ropes?’ He then tells me how he or Niall could walk across the street and get a job at the straight club tomorrow but not a one of the performers would have a chance finding a better club to express themselves as artist and make a living in an accepting community. 

“I assured Liam that I wouldn’t be making any rash decisions. That my being there is my mum’s wish, hoping I’d find some clues. I tell Liam that I would step out as soon as I could. Do something with my life that matters. 

“Liam was a little cool to me after that. We did a tour of the club before the doors opened to the public. Then we retreated to the office go over the business of the business. The biggest part of ownership is the headache of paper work, numbers, the occasional staffing issues. 

“Liam was correct. There is a lot of doing the mundane for something that sounds scandalous as a strip club business. Most of the tasks are entirely too easy for me given my Uni education. I was more comfortable to rely on Liam to take the lead with personnel. Secretly I knew that I should be at home at this club, among LGBTQ people, but I wasn’t ready to admit my sexuality to anyone there. I kept the hope I’d find something soon, like my father ran off with some other woman. Something my mum told me long ago made me think that was the case and more recently kinda concluded that is the reason the police closed the investigation. 

“Beginning with the very first performer to arrive to work I found interpreting their behavior a challenge. Lyle, who is trans, was instantly flirty with me. Blatantly Lyle acts like, well, like a stereotypic stripper. Next I met Renny, is a cross dresser. I had to admit I liked the way Renny, who goes by a stage name of Tinzy, dresses. The silky floral shirts, sheer fabrics that Tinzy wears are exactly to my liking. Then there were the strippers who fit the tragically, overly common, Village People style. On the first night it seemed for certain that all the performers had to flirt with me, test me. I went out of my way to lie, to say I was straight. I was determined to not try to fit in and continued to tell every person on staff I met that I did not approve of the seedy business of a strip club, family wealth or not. I didn’t think it could ever get worse than that first night... 

“In retrospect another key, telling thing happened. It took all the craziness unfolding before I understood it’s significance. Around midnight Liam comes in search of me in the office where I am quite literally trying to hide from the strippers. It was noticeable that Liam changed. He went to something that looked hip-hop inspired right down to the thick gold chains. He told me how to go onto the floor requires stepping out of a stiff suit like I was wearing, to dress more causal. He said I look like an off-duty bobbi which would dampen the mood. I needed to dress more in keeping with the atmosphere. 

“This was said, right before he boldly comes to me, removes my suit jacket, unbuttons my shirt far too low for my comfort and rolls up my sleeves, revealing some of my tattoos. The sight of them I know had Liam surprised, he said something like ‘There you go. That much more like it. Now you don’t look so painfully straight.’ 

“To the floor me and Liam go. Pulsing music is being spun by a dj who acts as the mc as well for one of the strippers who is currently on stage. It’s a party on the dance floor with many people trying to make their way forward to the featured dancer who is stripped down to a leather harness and leather thong, both handy for, taking bills of cash that are being slid under the straps of the harness and thong. On the floor I learned the rules of engagement with the talent from Liam. Patrons are not ever to touch accept to slip money into the final garment, if a thong is called ‘a garment’. They are also supervised by the security in their approaches. One wrong advance of any kind and the offending patron is evicted from the club. The performers are allowed to initiate any contact. Other rules are set by the government licensing standards for a club like this. Rules like how the exotic dancers must maintain some coverage. No full nudity. No exposure of their cock, balls, or entrance. At least a strip of something has to be covering their bits. 

“Looking at the dancer who is just finishing his performance, I’m struck by how it can hardly be said that he needs to be totally nude to see it all. The thong he wears hardly conceals how beautiful his body is, how huge his cock is, firm his arse is, or how ripped is his core. Maybe I’m perspiring a bit much for a straight bloke because Liam makes me take a drink that comes to us on a tray delivered by a pretty young woman server. I want to flirt with her to project my ruse that I am straight but stop when I realized she is not a woman when I hear her/his/their voice. 

“This makes me look around to shift focus on the server for my own protection only to see someone familiar passing through the crowd not too far from us... 

“It is Dark-model Zayn. He appears to be uninterested in the activity on stage as he heads to the bar. 

“It oddly disappointed me that Zayn was alone. No Small-model in tow. Also Zayn had changed from the edgy attire he wore earlier. He was wearing more casual clothes and a beanie. 

“Zayn went right to where Niall is working. The instant I saw them together I remember that when I was across the street Zayn mentioned the name ‘Niall’ to Small-model. There was a promise he made of some dicking ahead for Small-model because I had rejected the assertive pixie’s advance. 

“I needed to know if that was simply a coincidence or not. I tell Liam I want to take our review of the job over to the bar making up some excuse like the way it was too crowded where we were. Liam doesn’t know that I only want to put myself where I can easily hear Niall and Zayn. 

“Once I was at the bar I heard Niall say something like, um, like ‘you left him tied then?’ 

“Liam was distracted by a brief chat with another server so I could easily eavesdrop. 

“What I heard Zayn was say ‘...and gagged, the bitch wouldn’t shut up’. This is right before Zayn becomes aware that he is being watched. He looks to me, his expression showed his surprise to see me again. 

“The server Liam was speaking with heads back to her section so this was when Liam made an introduction. Me, the new owner, and Zayn, Zayn Malik. Liam doesn’t ever say what Zayn is to the club, he only makes it seem like whoever Zayn is it should be important. The awkwardness of us both face to face has Liam catching on to a thing between us. 

“He asks if know each other. 

“I said ‘No. Not really.’ Said only that I stopped in to the club across the street for a drink earlier to consider whether I could commit to this or not and Zayn was there. We sort of met. Zayn was with a date. 

“Zayn laughed at me calling Small-model a date. It was more like a scoff than a laugh. He then proceeded to say something like it was not hardly a date. ‘Demanding work out? ...Yes.’ ‘Exhaustingly so? ...Yes’ before Zayn adds that ‘he’, as in his date, er whatever the pixie was to him, ‘simply has the best mouth for cock’. Zayn even looks to Niall, Liam, who he calls ‘Li’ and asks for their conformation on this. This being the blunt thing he said about the pixie model. 

“The way the three of them laugh together over this gives me a clear understanding. Small-model wasn’t most certainly a date. More like a whoring slut. All three of them know him. It’s not a dating kind of knowing. As if that wasn’t clear enough Zayn turns to Niall. Zayn is at the club having requested to have Niall’s assistance later. To that Niall is saying that when he is done closing tonight he will swing by Zayn’s flat. Then, and this is important, I know now, Niall asked Zayn ‘How’d that thing go yesterday?’ 

“It was weird, the wording of ‘that thing.’ Like what thing? But this is well before I could realize ‘the thing’ has to do with a stripper at my club, the stripper I will later meet, Louis, and Niall, and Liam, and Ben and...meanwhile to Niall’s question Zayn’s says, ‘Good. Real good. 10K, in the bank.’ 

“This is way before I will catch on to what the money is about, the people who have been murdered, the reason for him being in jail now. I am totally unaware how significant Zayn and Niall’s conversation was. Clueless, I became curious about this giant illuminated electronic ticker on the wall at the back of the club that counts down time. 

“I ask Liam what the ticker is for? Liam informs me that it is counting down to when the Tease takes stage next. The Tommo Tease. Who Liam calls, ‘The money. The best arse in the business.’“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Harry, Liam, Niall, Zayn  
Minor characters:  
Hugh, (Barrister), Lyle (trans, behaves like a sterotypical stripper), Renny/Tinzy (stripper)


	3. The Chair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry continues to describe in detail to his barrister (Hugh) about the first time that he witnesses his strip club’s star perform.  
(Referenced songs credited in notes below.)
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

“The second day of work goes easier for me. I have met more dancers, learned the names of all the waiters and bar staff, the DJs, the bouncers and door security. I learned more about the floor activities, although I mostly try to hide in the office. To be honest, I just wanted to organize everything, to stay away from the strippers, but Liam drags me out to the floor during peak hours. Once again, Liam first adjusts my clothing and suggests that I ‘spice it up’. I almost consider asking to borrow one of Tinzy’s sheer floral shirts but I give up the idea because of fear of its implication about my sexuality.

“It is on the next day, my third day at the club, I feel like I’m bold enough to ask Tinzy where he gets his clothing. Tinzy is flirty, maybe going too over the top in the reply. ‘Girlfriend, you gotta go to this store on Central and get that booty of yours some of these shirts and some proper accessories. Let those titties of yours out, you got ‘em, flaunt ‘em!’

“This mortified me. I ask if he really just called me ‘girlfriend?’ And if my employee also referred to my pecs as ‘titties’. The offense is in part because I am rather proud of my pecs, but I don’t want that to be common knowledge. Also, oddly, I freely admit that I really like some of the girly things like Tinzy’s floral blouses, the idea of painted fingernails... my sister used to paint my nails when we were little. Maybe that is why. For sure it’s not a thing I want to broadcast… it is only day three at the gay strip club.

“Tinzy, a little taken aback, probably by my posture, says something like ‘Oh sir, Mr. Styles, I am sorry, my bad. Just assumed you knew tonight is the night to bring out your best features’. Tinzy then checks the time left on the ticker on the wall. Thirty minutes, under thirty minutes Tommo would be on the stage. Tinzy tells me I should ‘set off my pretty mouth with some display of flesh.’

“Next thing I know, Tinzy takes my hand and tugs me in the direction of the dressing rooms. I’m received with a clamor by the other strippers. I’m definitely aware by now that ever since I came in to replace my father, they all talk about me, a lot. Entering their changing, room which is a series of sections where each stripper has their own space for doing makeup, dressing and such, my phone buzzes, a text from Liam, reminding me how big the crowd is, telling me that I need to come to the floor. However, Tinzy has a mission, I soon learn.

“I am led through a place that has a chair unoccupied at an open, mirrored vanity. Feeling overwhelmed in this confinement among the strippers in this dressing chambers, I sit on a vacant chair freeing myself from Tinzy’s lead. The moment I sit on the chair, a chair with a low backrest and a simple cushion, distinctly shaped armrest that looks like the number ‘seven’, the entire room of strippers gasp at me. Tinzy grabs my hands to pull me from the chair.

“‘Boss’, he says, ‘boss or not, don’t ever sit on Louis’ special chair! The Tommo won’t be having that. It’s a rule no one ever breaks.’

“I look at the chair. What about it is so special? It has a shorter height backrest, a distinctive shape to the arm rests, an ordinary cushion on the seat that isn’t even tied or anchored on permanently. Looking at it, the chair seems entirely unexceptional. I get into it with Tinzy, though I’m not sure why, probably because I was still at a place where I was still not sure being there was going to address my father’s whereabouts. Also, the scrutiny from the strippers, the way they flirted with me like they were testing me, it was so uncomfortable in the first few days. So I became confrontational over what I think is only a stupid chair.

“I say something like ‘Louis’ chair? The Tommo’s chair. Is it so special that no one can sit on it? Isn’t he supposed to be here? So what’s the big deal if I choose to sit on his chair, he’s not even using it. I am the owner of this strip club, which includes this damn chair as well.’ I was quite forceful with Tinzy in the confrontation. A total wanker...

“... anyway, you would have thought I murdered someone. Massive gasps. Hands covering open mouths. Blatant shock is on every dancer’s face, as if I had just said the worst thing any that any stripper has ever heard. At this point, I have to admit that I didn’t understand those people. Where their hearts are. How much humanity they carry. To me, they still were people who did devious things. Looking back, I wonder what would have happened if I wasn’t so judgmental, if I recognized I lived in a glass house. A glass house that, at that time, I thought was made of pure diamonds.

“Tinzy waved the other strippers off. He’s kind of a senior stripper, approaching forty, been at the club since it first opened. He takes me by the waist, Tinzy is stronger than I expected, he led me away from the star stripper’s section space. He coddles me like I’m an ignorant fuck. ‘Sweet, don’t go there with Louis hun, even though he is kinda small, cute as the devil, he is someone to not trifle with. When he comes in you’ll figure out things, I’m pretty sure, once you meet our feisty little star performer. Now, let’s find you a nice shirt of mine to wear tonight, we want you showing off that chest of yours, those nipples. You don’t want your star to overlook you, go for some other bloke now, do we?’

“There was an implication, a laden significance in what Tinzy said. If only I knew. The emphasis on certain words and the way the other strippers chuckled. Tinzy got to work on re-dressing me, selecting a shirt. I turn down the suggestion to wear lipstick. Reluctantly Tinzy accepts. He says something like how my lips, a natural berry shade, are so perfect as it is. Eyeliner? Tinzy asked. No. A suggestion of nail polish is tempting for me, but I leave the dressing room only wearing one of Tinzy’s sheer floral shirts. I know I should head out to the club floor. I don’t. Maybe a part of me is actually beginning to fear associations with the star. The Tease. Tommo. Tinzy calls Louis devilish, cute, and feisty. These were hints of things to come, little did I know.

“I went to the office, where I thought I would be in my element. Organize. Look at numbers. Calculate where expenses can be conserved. Earnings enhanced. At this time there is no correlation in my head about how much we make off the club and how much my father brings home. I’m actually more curious about the whereabouts of the key that opens the bottom side drawer of my father’s desk. Liam’s desk. Or my desk, but the less attachment I put on anything associated with the club the better, so I think.

”An hour later I hear a pair of servers passing through the hall, talking about getting more supplies from the back room. I was tempted to ask one of them to bring me a drink for tempering my nerves because I was afraid to go to the floor, despite that Liam has been texting me from the club floor constantly to remind me that I should be at the floor. It is very busy. Hearing the servers talking with each other as the pass by my opened door confirms this.

“I hear something like ‘...damn, drinks are going so fast tonight, typical Tommo night, should have more staff on since it’s always exhausting keeping up with the demand when Louis is performing...’

“‘Yeah, I know. I get the feeling that Liam doesn’t want to look like he’s over staffing until Harry verifies the numbers, maybe.’

“‘But it’s a Tommo Tease night. We always need extra security on these nights.’ The other waitress says. Again, I’m learning, everything at this club hinges on what a stripper with a nice ass does, or wants.

“The servers had quieted down as they approached the office door, realizing it’s open. When they passed by me, they smiled. I heard them pick up talking once they got beyond my open door, on their way to the supply room.

“I distinctly heard one of them say, ‘Hi Zayn, how's it going?’

“I jumped up to confirm the odd thing I thought I heard, but by the time I looked out into the corridor, there is no one there. In a few minutes, the two servers come back down the hall each carrying a bulky box marked with the wording ‘napkins’.

“I intercept them, I ask Charlene and Stephanie if I had just heard them say ‘hi Zayn’. Zayn is not an employee. Also, the back region of the club is off limits to non-employees, but I know Zayn has this thing, whatever it is, sex, with Louis. So I’m wondering, is this Louis’ boyfriend? If so, what was that conversation Zayn and Niall had about him?

“Charlene looked at Stephanie. Stephanie only stared at me like she appreciated Tinzy’s shirt that I was wearing and totally forgot that I was her boss.

“They tell me ‘yes’, so I clarify if they mean Zayn Malik, Niall and Liam’s friend?

“‘Yes’, Charlene confirms but I saw how she got a little nervous, perhaps with the inquisition. I press on, asking that if Zayn doesn’t work for me, why he would be wandering around behind the scenes, where it’s employees only.

“Stephanie stopped undressing me with her eyes, bobbled her box like it’s too awkward to stand around holding it. Charlene answered with enough disdain, suggesting this is a stupid question to ask. She even says ‘Um, duh’ before she tells me that while Zayn doesn’t technically work at the club in an official capacity, he kind of does though, he looks after Louis since the thing.

“The thing. This doesn’t makes sense to me yet. So I ask her ‘What thing?’

“I wish I’d written down what she said, but I think Stephanie said something like ‘Well yeah’, before, she made a long pause, stammered and then blurred out ‘before you took over it was you father who looked over Louis. Now it’s something Zayn does. He came in through the back of the club with Louis a few minutes ago.’

“I was confused.

“Stephanie chimes in with more of her opinion. Questioned if I was going to be out on the floor soon, said it was crazy, it’s always like that if Louis is working, made sure to add that my father would be out there. It was very condescending, the way she spoke to me.

“My phone buzzes. It’s a text from Liam, again.

“Help on the floor please, he’d texted, ‘the club is packed. Frenzy is high. Tommo in twenty.’

“Perhaps, this is why the crowd sounds so much louder than the prior two nights. I take the box from Stephanie, hoping to make it look like I had been doing something other than hiding in the office.

“The decibels of the crowd is an entirely different level than the two prior nights. It not only seems louder, it also felt hotter, and the club was packed. The feeling on the floor is that of a hyper-frenetic pulse, running through the crowd almost like the crowd is one living organism rather than a collection of individuals. The music the DJ switches to when the parting stripper leaves the stage seems meant to keep the sea of bodies moving as the DJ announces ‘Tommo in twenty’ as the ticker counts down to that number.

“The crowd began to surge with shouts on every minute marker, ‘Nineteen!’, ‘Eighteen!’ and so on ...

“Once the countdown reaches under one minute, the lights go off in the club. Except for those that illuminated exit signs, the illuminated ticker and lights over the bar. Otherwise, the entire floor is dark.

“Once light began to restore, it commenced with a slow rising of the lights that featured the stage.

“Liam had been beside me, but I realized when the club went dark that Liam had moved away. Once the lights raised up slightly more, I realized that most of the security staff repositioned in the minute of darkness. All the bouncers, except those at the exits, were re-stationed to lining the floor along the front of the stage. Normally, these personal are scattered around, only two are at the boundary of stage and club floor. Another stark change from the norm is how the crowd in the club was breathtakingly quiet. It kind of struck me that perhaps everyone is holding their breath in anticipation for The Tease. At that point, I was too.

“A light slowly began to cast its shade in very subtle blue-green coloration on the stage. It was strangely soothing. Soothing being a very different, nuanced tone to a performance compared to what I seen the other strippers do during their acts. From what was too dark to make out much on stage, a shape took form. Soft music started. The song opens with familiar lyrics played, ‘Before I die I'm tryna fuck you, baby’ unaltered by the DJ controlling the sound panel. The next bit of lyrics is dampens the lyrics so any reference to ‘girl’ in the original lyrics is muted maintaining the mood of the song and tailoring its meaning. I know the song, but this is a surprise, given the hype, given the splash most the dancers make, how the star performer had this slower tempo, softer opening. Even more surprising is what I make out as the lights come up enough to where I can finally see the Tease.

Harry has to stop. He warns Hugh, “This is where it gets really explicit and graphic. From here forward, everything I say will sound like twisted behavior even for a stripper, but it goes to the roots of the behaviors’ origins. But, if you are truly convinced you can get him out of that cell, I should present every detail”

“Yes, yes, Harry I believe you do. I don’t want Louis’ motivations left out of what is a plausible defense.”

Hugh’s answer encourages Harry to go on. Details about Louis are engraved into his brain like a brand that can never be cut out. Not more can the experiences that lead them, him, Louis, Liam, Niall and Zayn, fatefully to this end. More fresh tea, Harry proceeds.

”The Tease is sitting on a chair. A chair placed so the backrest of the chair is facing the crowd, so this has the Tease facing away from us. He begins to move, slowly, extending a leg to one side. Bringing it back before slowly extending another leg to the other side. The song that plays is so different from anything I would’ve expect. At this point, I still can’t see any details about Louis. Only that he is sitting, slowly dancing in his chair, swaying and sinfully teasing, leaving his fans on edge, wanting more.

“I need more so badly that the need actually hurts in my chest to be held off like this. The damn song was so measured, every move too; so deliberately, so conservatively choreographed, fluid like this was ballet. Ballet performed seductively on a chair. Every move to torment.

“When the Tease finally came to stand, I, much like the crowd, am in a trance. The crowd is remarkably hushed. Like they know, if they’ve seen him perform before, how The Tease makes a slow burn. The music is clearly important in all the movements Tommo makes, but when he made his first turn to face those of us on the floor, turning such that while he is dancing with his chair he is now facing us, I must have loudly groaned...

“...it, it’s, it is the Small Model from the dance floor I saw a few days earlier with Zayn! Although, to call him a stripper is sort of a misnomer. He is not wearing enough to take off. In fact, I remember, I am so shocked on multiple levels; it’s the same lad who wanted to ‘have’ me. That’s the first massive jolt. Yet there he is, his delicate, defined features made prettier in the stage light, his facial expression calm like he could have been not at this club before hundreds of people, but in a private dream world. It’s not lost on me how strikingly different his approach is to performing given how the other performers have done traditional strip, engaging the crowd to shove money in their G-strings, lots of eye-contact, directly encouraging the crowd with lights that show their bodies but... But the Tease is so subtle. The way he performed made me feel like I was not watching a stripper in a public club, but as if we were alone. I am the only one in the world looking, engaging in some kind of voyeurism and the subject is unaware they are being watched as they are perhaps acting out a private fantasy or maybe, maybe it is only he and me. There is no other way to describe how he set up his performance. It is fantasy theater...

“And then I learn, three nights into the new thing at my father’s club the next big, shocking eye-opener. Aside from the dreamlike nature of the performer, The Tease, there is the other strikingly unusual thing. As I said, the matter was the way he was dressed.

“Louis has broken all the rules regarding the legal standards for exposure at a strip club. He only wears a barely there jockstrap and a choker around his neck. The jockstrap covers his prick in front, but there is nothing covering his crack, or by extension, his hole. Surely, he knows as well as the others that the requirements are that a stripper can only reduce clothing down to a minimum of a thong or panties so that their genitalia and entrance are to be covered even if it is only by a G-string.

“I looked over to Liam, concerned about Louis’ clothing violation. I found Liam apparently isn’t sharing my shock.

“I recognize chair Louis uses. The seven-shaped arm rests the and low backrest, but even more riveting is what The Tease does with his chair next. I remember like hit by a train how hard the urge was to be the chair. Who wouldn’t, when, at one point, he squats so his bum is level with one side of the backrest of the chair, beginning to slowly slide his bum crack along the vertical support of the backrest like the support is a dancer’s pole? Surely, this parts his cheeks when he pushes his bum against it as he dances down to its upper edge, his crack being parted by hard furniture. Maybe this act of grinding against it has the effect of actually rubbing an uncovered hole.

“If that were a pole, Louis would be doing the type of thing that implies something about a pole and fucking.

“Another thing suddenly strucks me about this chair, it has lost the cushion it had when Tinzy and the other dancers exploded over me sitting on it. So this is not an ordinary chair. It gets used like no furniture has ever been. I have barely comprehended this idea before The Tease is doing more ballet-like moves while incorporating some grinding and rubbing of himself on the uppermost horizontal part of the chair’s backrest to use it in another series of dance moves.

“At one point, he turned to the side, extended his leg out in a very ballet-like move before he took his leg over the backrest setting a foot to be placed on the seat of the chair. This had him straddling the backrest of the chair in a way that the top of the backrest, where it’s parallel to the ground is positioned like a pole was between his legs where he stands as if it was a broomstick being ridden. There, positioned with his chair, he starts working his hips forward and back. From the audience’s view, we see what looks like he is rubbing himself with the crest of the backrest, to apply friction to an entrance that has not even a tiny G-string covering it. It is also all tortuously, perfectly and teasingly slow, the way he builds a rhythm with his hips...

“... As the song comes to and end I thought, ‘Oh to be that chair!’

“Once the first song ends, the music switches and so do the lights. They take on a red hue, the music, not something I recognize. It becomes more upbeat and lively. Louis still makes use of the chair but his approach is new, different. The backrest that Louis had been straddling, he switches to hold on to, bending down to it, this forward bend to the chair makes it so his bum is facing the crowd as he brings his chest lower and lower down, coming to be fully bent over with his perfect bum presented.

“Now, you have to understand, these are butt cheeks that can only be described as fuller than what they should be for one so delicate in all other ways. Fuller, rounder, fairly girly. Front and center, Louis makes all his moves in beat to the music as he jiggles his ass, twerks his fat, round, beautiful ass. It is not only full, it’s also totally free of blemishes, just so... Wild screams fill the club. Suddenly, I wonder if I should move alarmed by how the crowd is consumed with this second part of the act, when it occurs to me that watching this stripper dance has made my cock so hard that it hurts. Still the, the, the Tease continues to use the chair for his stability as he alternates a dance of twerking and jiggling-ass moves and something where he begins to mock fuck down on thin air over the lucky chair. His thick, muscular thighs look gorgeous with how they are spread apart and working over the chair. One can imagine if he would be straddling their lap, he would be pleasuring himself with a mock dick riding.

“What he does next makes my cock leak pre-cum in my jeans. He does a pirouette kind of move making a circle around the chair with one hand pulling up a something that was built into the chair’s seat as an inlaid, built-in component of the chair. Apparently, the chair-mounted thing was designed with a hinge so it can be shifted from inlaid flat, out of sight, parallel in the center of the seat, but pulled repositioned to be upright perpendicular where it anchored on the seat, standing erect.

“The inlaid component? A dildo. At least the shape of what looks like it for us watching from the dance floor.

“It hits me...this customization was under the cushion of the chair the entire time, when I sat on it, before the stage crew brought the Tease’s custom designed chair out for him to use in this... whatever this is. I had earlier claimed this very same chair as the owner’s property, not some stripper’s personal asset, but as mine. I realize why the other strippers were so shocked and then...

“...yes, the dildo pulled erect… Louis comes around the chair to where he and the backrest of the chair are both re-positioned, his ass facing the crowd. Louis straddles the seat again with its dildo still erected up. There Louis begins a dance over the dildo, playing like he is going to tease his hole on the bulbous knob of it.

“It gets worse or better… because Louis doesn’t leave it at that. He runs one hand over himself during this dance. His head lolls about, Louis twists his nipples, he slaps his own ass, he rubs his thighs… next the fingers… yes! Wetting his fingers first, Louis fingers into himself in front of hundreds of people.

“Next, the lights in the club are adjusted to make it easier to see Louis’ exquisite features. As he sways, fingering himself, so much sinful touching must be pleasing him. As we watch, ever so slightly Louis’ pretty cock begins to peak out from his jock, revealing his arousal. Soon he must be ready for more; he makes his first legitimated move to begin slipping the tip of the dildo into his entrance by dropping down on it ever so slight. His skin has a sheen of perspiration that makes him glimmer in the light. His cock pushes out more and more from where it was hidden by the fabric that covered his junk. I know that at that point I lick my lips. I want to suck his pretty cock. Everyone else in the club would love to as well. And for the record Hugh, Louis is still, in a way, only getting started...

“Glimmering with perspiration, what Louis does next, this thing of slightly taking to impaling himself on the chair-mounted dildo... The crowd goes wild. Some onlookers chant like they know what to expect. Others are less organized in their shouts, the applause. One chant I know, one that I heard consistently from the crowd is the chant ‘bottom, bottom, bottom!’, the audience wanted to watch more of Louis as he fucked himself on a chair.

“The smile too, the way Louis smiles as he teases the crowd while bobbing on his toy, sliding it in further into himself little by little like to tease the desire to take the entire tool once, only to stop, shy about it and pull almost it all off, has the room panting. Around me, I see there are some people in the crowd who are weaker than others, those who have taken out their dicks to wank off, watching Louis. The scent of semen fills my nostrils. I’m telling you Hugh, I can remember the first time I saw his performance like it was just yesterday.

“The song’s pace quickens. Louis’ dildo riding pace does too, and sure enough, club code violations be damned. Louis takes himself to orgasm in front of us. This causes a push by some overwhelmed, several bouncers have to block and stop what was surely an attempt to get to Louis, perhaps like me, they want to suck his dick, taste him or maybe put him on the floor and fuck that ass.

“... Astonishingly, he stays still with his release. Seated. Impaled on some dildo built into his custom chair prop. His hands grasping the chair as he lets himself go and never touch his ejaculating dick. He doesn’t know… or does he? I’m trying to guess... He has made us all cry in need of him.

“Once his cock stops spasming, the music switches. Once again, it transitions to a song I recognize, that has been all over the charts, a version that starts a club DJ’s remix custom to this stripper’s performance. Again, not the kind of thing other strippers would use. Cardi B would make an easy choice. It’s clear how the star of the club tailors his show. The words ‘taste, taste’ send shivers through me, yes, yes because I do want, need, to taste, taste.... That and seeing him swiping up some of his own cum from the backrest he was facing, putting his fingers back in himself after, then pulling them out of his hole and tasting them on timing with the lyrics: ‘Taste, taste, let you get a taste, Taste, taste, do you love the taste’ drops us, the audience, into his world. His private pleasures...

“This track Louis was performing to have some of the lyrics remixed to be dampened, it is so highly edited. Not so edited as to reduce the sexuality of the lyrics, but to tailor everything to the point the next set of lyrics play. ‘Make me get on top —ride me like a Harley/ Taste, taste, let you get a taste/ Taste, taste, do you love the taste? /Yeah, that’s cool, but he ain’t like me/ Taste, taste, — you can get a taste‘, lyrics that are so on point to his performance.

“There’s another thing about Louis and the crowd: his fans know him. The crowd had quieted again. The music is all that is heard it’s so quiet with anticipation. Once Louis licked off what was on his fingers, he walked to the edge of the stage. He gave a light tug on the straps at the sides of his waistband on the jock strap. The Velcro closure rips apart. The jock Louis wore he tossed out into the crowd and for the first time I get an understanding why the numbers for the charges I’d seen in my office survey for the Tommo’s wardrobe is so much more costly. He routinely throws out items to the audience. A scuffle ensures to get to his jizz-scented jock, but it is a short fuss because attention goes back to him. Louis, as pretty and quick as he is, is assisted by two bouncers at the front center of the crowd to bring him off the stage onto floor. I’m petrified about this.

“Once the two massive, muscled security crew brought Louis with ease to the crowded floor, I look to Liam again. I’m still aroused, and yet utterly, completely confused and concerned. How is this going to work? How can the star stripper be at such risk? Everyone wants A Taste. Just like the song says. A taste...

“Oddly, instead of the crowd rushing to touch The Tease, they actually moved back to part, as if they knew the rules. He walks into the space they’ve created for him almost like he is revered, untouchable by some unseen force field. Everyone around Louis wants to be seen by him. Some try to win Louis’ attention with pulling their cock’s out, many people call out his name, or some coyly make a catchy plea. Many simply beg ‘please’, the sound of their lust palpable. Louis continues walking around, surveying his admirers like some brazen god of erotica.

“I realized then, for the first time, how the two bouncers that took Louis from stage were following him with one of them carrying a pail. Into the pail, people were putting their tips. These tips going into the bucket are in large bundles or large bills. I saw how one man put his Rolex in the pail before putting his hands together, like in a prayer, hoping The Tease will notice this plea. By all accounts, Louis is making an insane amount of money in tips. By the time he walks past a carefully positioned Zayn, like to be so peripheral, it is the first time I noticed Zayn was there. Zayn simply gave The Tease a wink. Louis ignores him as Louis turns, as if to go back towards the stage when he stops like something caught his interests. I realize it is me...

“Staring at me, I get that same look from the Tommo, The Tease, my star employee as three days before, when I got that look from The Small Model.

“And, exactly like three days before, Louis merely walks determinedly, boldly up to me.

“Bear in mind that the club is full of people who have been trying to get Louis to acknowledge them and it is to me he comes to. He takes a stance, and, once he’s in front of me, his hand go to one side of his hips. It sort of looks like those following him from behind nearly faint. I have my own lightheadedness as the small-model-like, massively popular stripper reaches out to brush his fingers over my lips. The second Louis’ fingers abandon their touch, stop their lip-caress, he steps in closer and going to his tiptoes, he kisses me.

“Somehow I manage to stay composed enough to keep my hands at my side. Club rules. Desires be damned, I was trying not to commit to the kiss, as I heard the crowd whooping, everyone shouting about my good luck.

“The DJ said something like ‘We got a winner in the room tonight! One lucky bastard gets to take the show home for us!’

“What does that mean, I was thinking, as Louis breaks the kiss, grabs my shirt, the one I borrowed from Tinzy. This pixie rips it open; making the few buttons I had fastened go flying. More crowd calls and whoops of celebration around us as he goes to one nipple with a hand that twists before he buries his face in my chest to proceed to suck on a nipple.

“My body made this involuntary buck from the torment of the nip-twist, and yet, when his lips touch my chest, I somehow managed to still keep my hands off him. I even raised them like to say to those watching ‘my hands are off.’

“Hands off strippers is a rule, but then again, the rules are also no complete nudity and certainly no pornography, both having been totally disregarded by The Tease.

“I was still trying to reconcile what to do when, suddenly, his nipple play stops. He shifts to running his hand over my crotch, surely feeling the wet spot he’d caused during his act, and he resumes kissing my lips ever so softly before almost singing so soft only I can hear as he sings the lyrics to Tyga’s song ‘Taste, taste, gonna have that taste’ mixed between his kisses.

“Suddenly, Louis drops to his knees, unbuttoning my pants. I hear filthy comments from those who are around us, as for the first time I realize there is a camera broadcasting us on the big screens too. There, Louis and me are, actions are being projected onto the wide screens around the club so everyone in the club can see everything, as Louis pulls down my pants some more. Much of my bum is exposed, as he frees my cock. Now, not to brag, but I am much larger than average, indeed quite a bit, Louis takes a hold of me, looks up to me...

“...‘What a pleasant surprise.’ Then he licks.

“One kitten lick and pre-cum is taken away.

“Louis bats his eyelashes, so full and thick. His blue eyes are dark because his pupils are enlarged, and he asks me ‘Been enjoying watching me fuck myself?’

“Leaving me unable to answer, I stand there, gobsmacked while Louis teasingly plays at sucking on the slit of my knob.

“Speechless, I stayed with hands my away from him. I don’t have a clue on what to do. Louis licks around the base of my knob before making a few flicking licks over my slit. My body jerks, my knees falter from his… you know, tongue, his lips...I was saved from falling to the floor, weak kneed, thanks to two men, both letting their erections wag freely with their pants unzipped like they saw me falter and wanted to help me stay standing.

“I thought I saw a smile form on Louis’ lips, this cock-sucking pixie, fleetingly, like he knows he has me before he begins to sink on my length, sink, suck and hum. He kept one hand on the base of the length while his other hand played with my balls.

“People around us are chanting. I feel a couple of slaps on my back and some encouragements are called out. One lad, who is assisting me to stay on my feet, tries to spur me on to get rough, ‘Fuck his pretty mouth harder, go on and fuck him!’

“I’m vaguely aware that the DJ is spinning some music that gets in rhythm with Louis’ suck, suck, suck pace. I only realize that the illusion that the sounds of everything around me ended was actually just that, an illusion. You know what I mean, Hugh? That sensation which only happens sometimes during a really intense, orgasm where for a brief bit you think you went deaf? My hearing came rushing back to me, also feeling how amazing Louis’ blowjob is, watching him swallowing what my cock gives, this porn star sucking me off in my club with us surrounded by a sea of eager strangers. It was so draining that I had to let the two men who were supporting me drop me to the floor, because of exhaustion. It’s only when I am on the floor, my stripper staying with me, so determined to keep ahold of my cock, that when he lets go of my cock, his luscious thighs straddling me, I realize. I am on the floor under him much like when he was straddling the chair.

“He looks down at me, amused at his conquest. Louis wiped his mouth, took a glance at my used cock. I couldn’t help but notice that his own dick had fattened up again. By sucking me off, he became aroused again and when I stared at his pretty little erection he laughs and says something unforgettable, ‘So what can I use to fuck myself with now?’

“The crowd exploded. I felt utterly incapacitated by what had happened, this porn star pixie was still sat on top of me. This is when the two bodyguards, who were shadowing Louis once he came off stage, reach down to pull Louis off me. Around us, the crowd applaud again. It’s clear that as I lay there stunned, spent, clueless that the crowd are all back to focusing on The Tease. I felt that I was of no more interest to him, once Louis used me like the abandoned chair. Louis left me literally floored, making his way through a parting crowd, he has a public who were pleading for his attention as if they wanted more.

“They called out to Louis, their blatantly, filthy pleas with their dicks in hand hoping for Louis’ touch. I heard lots of ‘Fuck me Louis, fuck me!’, ‘Ride this, ride this!’, ‘Suck this big Daddy’s cock’, “fuck yourself on this cock’... the crowd’s desperation for him… it was unbelievable. Hugh, if you were the one telling me this story I would think you had quite the imagination, but I assure you, this was only the first of many such things to come before we get to where things are now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Liam, Zayn  
Minor characters:  
Tinzy  
Stephanie, waitress  
Charlene, waitress  
.....  
Songs remixed, some lyrics dampened, are “No Guidance” by Chris Brown ft. Drake and “Taste” by Tyga ft. Offset.
> 
> *** The one where Harry learns the star stripper does what is live porn rather than strip culminating with Louis performing public felatio with a random club patron he finds to his liking.


	4. Pandora’s Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry shares details with his barrister (Hugh) precisely how _ just how well _ the first official introduction between him and his star performer goes...it is a quite unorthodox first meeting. 
> 
> Also Harry will share the details of his visit with Anne. Admittedly Harry hides from Anne his fears for her sake.  
***
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

“From where I lay on the floor, I watched how with such ease one of the bouncers lifts Louis back to the stage. It looks so easy: the bouncer puts his big hands on Louis’ tiny waist, Louis tucks up his legs and just like that, Louis is nothing to lift. The brawny bouncer puts Louis right back to where he belongs. Louis gives the crowd a bow with hands together as a goodbye, the DJ following his departure bringing the dance music up after he announced that, ‘Tommo will be back tomorrow night for those of you who need more of The Tease. Reset the clock to countdown for the next show.’”

Harry can read within the look on Hugh’s face how the barrister is taken aback hearing about Louis’ behavior, despite that Hugh thought he’d heard it all. And, as Harry knows, this is only the start of the lengthy, sorted backstory.

“If that sounded shocking for you to hear about, and then imagine my state of mind? I’m left on the floor. It was like being paralyzed by what happen, both physically and mentally crippled. I continue to lay there until Liam and one of the other bouncers appear peering down at me. Their expressions were of curiosity that challenge for me to understand at the time, adding to my already existing Louis-induced total brain dysfunction. I would have expected some sort of outrage from them, or shock or something, but no. They each extend me a hand, together they pull me up to my feet where I first got an inkling of how what I experienced had made me a minor celebrity in the eyes of the crowd. The same people who were begging for Louis’ attention after he performed on stage, have now switched to vying for my attention. Somehow, being selected to be Louis’ porn toy was like having an honor bestowed.

“The bouncer and Liam guided me through the sea of admirers throughout the club toward the back. Off the public floor, I was sure we are going to discuss the massive problem of the felatio on the floor, in public, the list of things about how The Tease breaks the law with no regard for the consequences to the club, but no, that is not what happens next.

“To my surprise, once we are through a set of doors, out of public view where the sound of the pulsing music is softened by the doors separating us from the club floor, standing there as if he is waiting for me to be brought to him is, yes, Louis. Louis wearing only the choker, his new erection posting suggesting this is phase two, with Zayn and one of the bouncers beside him. His face lights up with a smile seeing me flanked by Liam and the bouncer escorting me toward him.

”I barely had time to appreciate how beautiful Louis’ smile is before Louis rushed to me, wrapped his arms around me, began kissing me with such passion it was like he wanted to consume me.

“I was shocked by yet another forward advance of this employee-stripper whose nude form is melted against me, hands taking license to roam, grope, squeeze wherever they want. I simply couldn’t fathom breaking the kiss...

“Then Liam says, ‘Louis, I’d like you to meet the owner’s son, Harry Styles.’

“Sparked by what Liam said, I guess this was new news to Louis, Louis shrunk back from me before he then came back to slap me, forcefully push me away. The lustful, hungry passion was totally vaporized. In its place was a look of disgust, mortification and a mix of anger as, to my surprise, Louis’ disposition toward me changed into something so violent but, before I could say anything, he spat at me with vitriol in his tone.

“‘What the fuck!’ Louis shouted, glaring, like it was I who made the advance on him. He added with a snarl, ‘This, this… Shit, this is Harry?’

“I could see his body begin to shake, like a rage stirred so intensely in him. Liam gathered Louis in his arms with a bear hug, which must have been a necessity, given how Louis was trembling. Zayn took to Louis’ side too, removing his jacket and offering it to Liam to conceal the nude, exquisitely gorgeous Louis.

“Liam explained to Louis something, something like given that how Louis was so was late coming in that night; there was no time to introduce him to me earlier. Liam added ‘what were the odds that of all the people in the club who could guess that he, Louis, would pick me’. Liam added something else like ‘there was nothing we could do before you were on Harry.’

“From Liam’s statement, I understood for the first time that what just happened wasn’t a one-time occurrence. Louis picked me because he liked the way I looked. Moreover, it appeared that Louis routinely picks a person from the audience. This is a kind of public pornographic performance that, for Louis, is a norm.

“Louis then turned to Zayn, still angry as if Liam had failed him. He demanded an answer from Zayn, whatever Zayn was, which was still very unclear to me. Louis says something like ‘Did you know this too? That, that, that...this is Harry?’ Louis asked sounding strained.

“Zayn said ‘Well yes, but like Liam said, what are the odds? By the time I realized you were going for him I was in no position to stop you. Seemed kinda funny.’

“Crushed, Louis put his hands over his face. ‘I can’t believe you let me do that..._ with him_!’

“It was the way Louis emphasized ‘with him’ that had such a huge impact on me. Its meaning suggesting that the problem is not what Louis did minutes before, in front of the public, for tips, was the wrong thing, but rather who it was Louis did it with, and by extension, that I’m the wrong in all of it.

“Liam handed Louis off to Zayn who took over holding Louis in his arms as he led Louis away from me. Liam asks me something like ‘Expect you might be curious about all that...’

“‘I snapped at Liam, ‘Curious? Curious?’ Asked him a series of questions like, where do I start? We have a stripper who ignores the boundaries on exposure, who does a pornographic performance on stage, follows that by engaging in, in, in… What even is his performance called? And I question what were the people tipping for when they put their tips in the pail? Was it for the show they watched or the chance for…

“Liam interrupts me, tells me to calm down, to listen, but I just couldn’t. I berated Liam more. I emphatically began to argue that we, the club, are breaking the law, that he, Louis, is breaking laws.

“I realized that our two bouncers and my manager were uncomfortable with my anger directed at Louis. Liam sent them off with a nod after he took pail of cash from one, then he also took me by the elbow to lead me to the office. Along the way, Liam tried to reason with me again like I was the only one seeing things wrongly.

“‘Listen to me for a minute’, Liam said, he reminds me, the first thing I said to him was how I was uncomfortable with this business, that I would rather shut the club down than be involved and he throws back at me the suggestion that I think the people who rely on the club for their livelihood, could be damned. Then he reminds me that I had been told this is like a family in this strip club. A family of misfits, sure, but a family nevertheless. And Louis, well Louis is the leader. He takes care of everyone. What he does is illegal, yes, but going to lead us to getting the club shut down? No, so Liam claims with total confidence.

“I have no idea how that can be so, Louis getting away with his form of entertainment? We pass by some of the strippers and I can see they know there is a massive problem unfolding between Liam and me. I don’t that care what they think at this point. Instead, I tell Liam that I would like to know how the hell it is possible, keeping the club in operation. I make a moral stance on how strip clubs are supposed to be places for the performance of strip, not of pornographic acts, or prostitution. Prostitution is the word I used because of the pile of money in the pail Liam carries.

“Nonchalantly, Liam says ‘It’s possible for Louis to do his style of performance because Louis takes care of it.’

“‘What ever does that mean?’ I ask Liam.

“‘Come on Harry, how can you not know? Are you really saying you had no idea about your father? How your father ran this business? How important Louis has been to him? For his business’ success, your privileged lifestyle?’

“I didn’t have a clue about what he was saying. It was overwhelming. I was unprepared for all of this.

“We are back to the office at this point. Liam aims to get his personal set of work keys. On the set, there is a small key, too small for a door lock. He hands the keys to me with the small one held out. I know this is the one key I had needed. Liam tells me to ‘go ahead, open Pandora’s box.’

“This is the locked desk drawer that had been a curiosity since day one. Inside it is an assortment. Electronics. Tapes, disc, thumb drives and sim-cards.

“Liam says something like ‘Here, let me make this easy for you,’ Liam pulled out a small video camera, hands it to me, tells me, ‘go on, look at the contents’, adding that I will get my answer.

“Later, after the club is closed, it is the staff that are mostly still on sight. I hadn’t left the office since Liam and I spoke. The collection of evidence in the drawer makes it obvious that my father had a thing with filming Louis. I had no idea my father had a preference for guys. In fact, I was so certain he was loyal to my mum that I never wanted to risk confiding to them that I was on a different path, the idea that my choice is… so.

“Grappling with the meaning of this, my father wasn’t only running a strip club with a gay-focus audience. Louis been doing these pornographic performances? From eighteen? He’s nearly the same age as me, according to employee records. Did he begin as stripper at eighteen or did he leap directly into his public porn thing right from day one? It all seemed so crazy… Louis seemed so inexplicable.

“Additionally, back to the meaning of Liam’s statement that ‘Louis takes care of it’ remains a key part of this sorted affair that I am struggling to comprehend at this point. By this time, I knew for certain after what just happened that the word would have circulated among staff that I freaked out over Louis’ act, will they wonder what that means, the uncertainty of their future.

“I was beginning to speculate how what I heard Zayn say to Niall, ‘10k in the bank’ has some bigger meaning; relative to these confusing circumstances surrounding Louis.

“It was closer to daylight than midnight when, hours later, I finally ventured out of the office. On the club floor, I find that some servers are helping Niall, who is still cleaning up at the bar. He is delaying, that I knew. The DJ, Teddy, was also doing something at the soundboard. I get the distinct feeling that everyone who is still at work is more or less hanging around to see me come out of hiding. Disguising my emotions with my best effort at a blank expression, I went to Niall to ask if Liam had left.

“Niall is not so good at hiding his emotions. I can tell that he is uncharacteristically nervous. Niall said ‘Liam had to, went with Zayn to take Louis home. You really upset him.’

“‘What the hell’ is what I was wondering, as this makes literally no sense… I erupt at Niall, ‘I have upset _him_! _Louis is upset_! Never mind that it was Louis who came on to me..._ to suck me off in public view_!’

“When I say that, that Louis sucked me off, claimed that I never asked for it, Niall responded by chiding me. I try again to get out ahead of Niall by reminding Niall how that, a blowjob, is not a legal thing to offer at this club, emphasize how the club is not legal as a stable for prostitution.

“Niall only shrugged. Another unforgettable discovery, this Louis’ behavior, though to remind you, I have no clues about the whereabouts of my father. Niall simply adds that ‘The first thing to learn is how Louis is the only one who does that kind of performance art.’ Secondly, Niall adds about when he saw Louis sucking me off, how it was quite evident on the big screens for everyone to see that I was hard, before Louis took the first taste, my cock had visible pre-cum on the tip. Niall added that ‘it seems like father and son have the same taste in entertainment, father and son have the same secret, pointedly adding that ‘Louis was upset to find out after the fact that you are his new owner.’

“It hit me. The implication. His owner. Louis’ owner. I question Niall if that is his meaning and Niall remains somewhat evasive, but clearly has some dispute with my view. He tells me, ‘Take whatever meaning you need.’

“Niall had been such an affable sort of fella that this altercation between us comes as a surprise to me. Almost as much as the discovery of my father’s secrets, lewd, immoral and illegal. I was so flustered that I simply walk out.

***

“A few days passed with me staying away from the club. I went home. My mum became fatigued with me. Her concern was my behavior, my ‘brooding silence’, as she called it, not to mention that I virtually never came home, not even following the start of the mysterious disappearance of my stepfather, was a sign. A bad sign.

“On my third day, I woke up as I had the previous days, entirely too late, closer to afternoon than morning. I make my way to the kitchen. My depressed manner for three days is too much for her. She questions why I’m home, the brooding, and my unusual secretiveness when she knows it has to do with my father. She asks ‘You’ve found something out, haven’t you?’

“How can I tell her? All I’ve learned is something to do with her husband’s taste in using pretty younger men. This secret pads our luxury lifestyle.

“Pouring me some tea, offering some homemade wafers, my mum throws a question out there. ‘Do you think Robert was maybe having an affair?’

“She asks and then rocks a couple times in her chair, even though it is a stationary chair. She does a funny thing with her hands. She stares at the table and doesn’t chance a look at me. She confesses her fears.

“‘I know that he was. For years. I became aware of it before you started University, and by the time you were settled and doing well, maybe would have understood me choosing to stay with him when he betrayed our vowels, I just sort of accepted it. This may be a hard thing to explain, but your father has always been so caring, so good to me, totally convincingly in love with me so I kind of accepted the other woman was an outlet and not a threat to our marriage.’

“‘The other woman’ is the thing that strikes me. I nod. I don’t dare adding anything. Don't want to say he was bi. My silence forces my mum to push on her need so deep.

“‘Do you think he ran off with her?’ She asked me.

“‘No.’ I answer assuredly. ‘Absolutely not.’ I pause. I can’t think of the right way to ask what made her suspect an affair.

“My mum is so gentle and calm, like she doesn’t want to upset me, unbelievably, clueless of what I know, my mum is being calm. It screams out how much she loves him, undeserving as he is, she loves him. She shares her secrets that she has never confided. ‘My son, when you’ve been married for a long time, you kind of know how intimacy is with the person you’re with. It kind of becomes like a favorite pair of old shoes, the lovemaking. Not the most flattering image, but accurate. However, years ago, your father came home and he had some purchases in the car that he’d left there. I discovered them when I was putting a new first aid kit in the boot. He clearly didn’t intend for these things to be for me. They were kinky, not my style. I confronted him about them and he claimed they were for one of the strippers, only props, and it was not anything for me to worry about.’

“I asked my mum if she feared that that was an unlikely story. Did she know he might be, you know...

“She assured me saying something like ‘Well, yes. Strippers strip, the things he had were more… they looked as if they had more of an adventurous sexual use. No way, I knew they weren’t part of some stripper‘s performance.’

“I simply nodded. I can imagine, having seen Louis do himself with a chair-imbedded dildo, that these were things for Louis’ performance.

“She looked so sad, as she asked me next ‘Did I know or suspect who she is?’

“My mum had such a massive sadness to her that I had to lie. I tell her that I’m really only working through all the options to find any clues. I don’t mean to cause her pain, but that is one possibility that has merit to be explored. I don’t say anything to make her question her belief that if her husband was having an affair, it’s a heterosexual thing. At this point, I’m not convinced of anything.

“Then my mum asks ‘Do you think that I was being weak to let him go on that way?’

“It’s the one question I can’t see honestly, that she is amazing, my mum, so strong. Always has been. I lie again but it’s an easier lie. She loves the person she thinks her husband is. She doesn’t know the real Robert Twist.

“I wanted to spend the remainder of the day trying to help my mum around the house as a nonverbal way of telling her that I was there for her, regardless of all else. The next the day, I head back to the city, to the club. I was resolved to get answers for my mum. I was not going to try to not think of Louis or deal with that issue. Whatever his issue is.

“It was early in the day for anyone to be at the club. I expect to have the building to myself. Entering the club, I am surprised to hear music. Instead of going to the left, taking the path to my office, I was curious about who is at work so early.

“Before I could reveal myself I stop, staying out of sight. At the control panel is our DJ Steve. Near where he’s operating the sound panel is Louis. The two are working on something related to the mix of the music, so they are stopping and starting music, talking. I see how Steve is at the panel but Louis is off to the side, slightly to the front of Steve, which allows Steve to see what Louis is doing while making his mix, apparently, with Louis’ directions.

“Then, there is Louis. It’s a very different person than who I’ve seen previously. He’s not the demanding, tight-jeans-clad Louis from the first time I saw him. Nor is he the pornographic-dancer from last time. He looks like a regular lad, not some cock slut whore.

“Louis is wearing an oversized hoodie, a pair of trackers and a beanie. He looks soft, small and as adorable as a kitten. The only thing that detracts from the image of him as some sweet, innocent little thing is how he has that chair with him and, as he and Steve chat between a few seconds here or there about some music, Louis looks to be choreographing moves.

“This is the first time it occurs to me that Louis really does creatively develop the performance art of what he does. It’s not merely a matter of him acting out porn for a live audience; the porn is embedded in some larger framework of his art. I continue watching how Louis does different moves, coordinating them to the music. It appears he doesn’t worry about making them perfected at this point, I get that he is laying down the tracks with Steve for what will most likely be for a new act.

“I recognize two of the songs Louis is working with. One of the songs I do not know. It’s obvious from what I see in the exchange between Louis and Steve that they work well together. When Louis does something like mock twerk it is very clear that Steve’s relationship with Louis is strictly professional, Steve is only getting a glimpse of the perfected moves and only as a way for him to help Louis set the music to the way Louis is envisioning his act to unfold. It’s almost sweet, the way the two of them work through a creative process. So they are so absorbed that when I decide to make my presence known, it is a surprise to them both.

“Prior to this, I have only spoken with Steve briefly once. I learned from his employee file that Steve is a master of sound engineering, probably too talented to be employed by the club, but he has been working the soundboard the longest of any of the DJs. It’s Steve who saw me first, his attention diverted to me made Louis look too.

“Louis’ face was youthful, playful, and pleasant as they were working, but, when his eyes set on mine, there is a split second of looking me up and down like I am beautiful to see but then the glare sets in. A glare and a scowl.

“‘What are you doing here?’ He asked with distain.

“‘I work here, the owner, remember?’ I reply flippantly.

“‘Oh, yes, but work? Remains to be seen.’ He seethes, ‘Seems you haven’t been here for a few nights and life has gone on just fine. Perhaps you should go back to wherever you were.’

“Steve seemed unbothered by the way Louis speaks to me. Louis’ agitation shows in a fidgetiness that suggests, while Louis is glaring and scowling at me, that he is trying to put some other emotion aside that is conflicting with his dislike of me. Every step closer I get to him has Louis visibly getting more and more agitated.

“Louis’ eyes focus on my mouth once I am within a couple feet of him. Focus intensifying, staring, he licks his lips as he more animatedly fusses stepping back. His step back almost causes him to fall over the chair that, in his agitated state, he has forgotten about. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought Louis is wrestling with an attraction to me. Not meaning to brag, but I get that a lot... And this attraction is one emotion that Louis hates so much it literally took him off balance.

“I catch Louis by the arm to prevent a backwards fall and when I pull Louis out of the near-stumble, somehow, Louis’ legs give out completely. Louis falls forward into me. Instinctively, my arms go around him to stabilize him. No sooner do I put Louis back on his own two feet than our lips meet. I have no clue how this happened; I had not intended to kiss Louis but there we are. It was a fleetingly soft, fairly amazing kiss that ceases all too suddenly when Louis regains control of his legs. Next, a hand wallops me hard on the side of my face with a loud smack and a searing pain.

“Louis stumbled backwards again, though this time his feet remained under him and he shouted at me. ‘Fuck, don’t touch me!’ Louis screamed like I did that, as if the kiss was my fault, not his. Steve took ahold of Louis, keeping him in his arms as Steve back-walked some space between a feisty, fuming mad Louis and me.

“Feeling the sting on my face, I lash out. ‘Excuse me! Excuse me? Didn’t _you_ just kiss me? All I did was to stop you from falling on that far too fat ass of yours so it can do its job when showtime comes!’

”Honestly Hugh, thinking back, I don’t know why I said that… His ass is not at all too fat; it’s like the most insanely perfect degree of fullness. Not fake like those bum implants women get, simply naturally fabulous.

“Louis looked unreadable, he was so flustered after the insult. He said something in a stammer like. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, I didn’t… you… fuck off! If it wasn’t for my fat ass, your family wouldn’t have its fabulously fat bank account that put you through your fabulous education, Styles! So fuck off! Don’t fucking touch me, ever!’

“The irony of him using ‘fabulous’ was not lost on me. Louis shook free of Steve. ‘We’re finished for now.’ He says with no animosity in his voice when he says that to Steve. I couldn’t help but notice how Louis was actually shaking though, like he was so distraught. So.... Indescribable. How he made me feel from one second to the next, so many confused emotions running through me.

“Steve is in his mid-thirties and, at this moment, he was literally like the only adult in the room. He calmly gave Louis a send-off pat, told him ‘It’s okay, we got time before the debut’, and told him to go on home. Said he’d take care of ‘things’.

“Louis left without even looking at me. His shaken state made me feel permeated with Louis’ adorable, soft-kitten appeal so much that I had a hard time with the urge to take Louis in my arms again. I managed to just stay watching, Steve and me both watching Louis walk away. The baggy trackers don’t hide the fact that Louis’ bum has a particular wiggle to it. I had remorse for calling it fat, as fabulous as it is. Fabulous, full and round.

“Once Louis is gone, probably left the building, I turn to Steve.

“‘Did you see that? He kissed me!’ I state in my defense.

“‘I know, I saw that.’ Steve says in his naturally calm manor. He messes around with the sound panel more as he talked with me.

“Subtle as Steve is, he obviously couldn’t hide some curiosity about me from all the gossip among the other employees. He said that, cautiously, something like, ‘I’ve heard all about what happened the other night, how Louis hadn’t met you yet, unknowingly, mistakenly selected you from the crowd.’

”Steve looked at me with a long pause, like he was contemplating before he went on to add to that Louis is a total mess now and it’s all because of me. He states that Louis told him how much he hates me, and then to this Steve adds ‘and from what he didn’t say, I know exactly what the problem is for Louis. You are not supposed to look like you do. Everything he likes in one dream package. It is what all of us are talking about. You, you know that was even before, um, his mistaken selection. Why do you look so different than your father anyway?’

“‘Stepfather, he’s my stepfather. Besides, I look more like my mum.’ I explain.

“Steve stays pragmatic. Professional. Refreshingly so, I must say. He tells me he won’t get into the middle of the gossip, so, if I want people to know that about me, I should put that story out myself. He informs me that he is not working at the club as much these days, making plans to put out some music, that he mostly works here when Louis is putting together a new act, on the first few opening nights of the new act, but that he is not scheduled in the heavy, nightly rotation like DJs Teddy and Shamus.

“I asked him more about his music, the meaning I took was that he does his own music so the track I heard just earlier I assumed was one of his.

“Steve clarified that no, it was Louis’ music. That, indeed, most of the music I wouldn't recognize that Louis uses in his performances is Louis’. It is at this point that Steve tells me that Louis’ also writes a lot of the music he is going to put out for radio airplay, or it’s his with Louis co-writing. Steve talks about how Louis is an extremely talented songwriter. He would have a future ahead of him as such if there were only a way to keep his current profession under the radar.

“I realized thinking about Louis as an artist distracted me from thinking about Louis and that kiss. In every way, things about Louis seem… sensational. It hurt me for the first time to be part of what holds Louis in some, some, well I didn’t fully understand what exactly it was at that time. So I ask Steve.

“‘Would you play his piece again? I’d like to hear it uninterrupted.’ My request is met with enthusiasm. The song is an arrangement that quickly gets stuck in my head. Hours later, after me and Steve parted, I find myself wanting to know more about the music Louis has been writing. I also wondered what it would take to get Louis’ music in the right hands without exposing him to the wrong kind of public scrutiny.

***

It’s hours later when Hugh leaves his office. He’s late for dinner with his wife, Kiera, who works in law, like him. She will understand, maybe have ordered wine and making the best of it.

It’s their anniversary. She deserves better. But then, so does Louis....

Hugh hopes that, with Keira’s help, he can rewrite Harry’s point of view in a chronology, link it to Zayn’s statement, the diary of the deceased stripper, other’s depositions and maybe make a better outcome for a young man driven to do the extreme by circumstances that reveal a motive that require compassion.

Keira’s help in writing Harry’s hours and hours of interweaved mysteries will hopefully make a far better, far more convincing historical record to understand each person’s mindset and motivations. The task to build the mystery will need to introduce evidence from a diary and the statement of a confessed killer. Also, a small bit of conjecture incorporated in pieces to enlighten how did Louis came into being the son of a stripper who worked for Robert years ago, at a time when Louis was only eight years old...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Harry, Louis, Liam, Zayn, Niall, dj Teddy, Anne, dj Steve, mentioned dj Shamus, Hugh and his wife Keira
> 
> Introducing a new character and a new dimension to the puzzling nature of the strip club’s star performer. The one where Louis officially meets the club owner’s son, Harry, as Harry takes over. Harry visits with Anne. Anne confesses that she has known about a long time affair her husband, Harry’s step-father has maintained. Character Ben Winston introduced.


	5. The Arrangement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The startling reason for the abrupt end of Louis’ typical act as deposed to the barristers Hugh and Keira by Harry. (See notes.)
> 
> Harry meets a club regular Inspector, Ben Winston, who is another facet of the mystery surrounding club practices and perhaps Harry’s missing step-father.
> 
> ***  
Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might look to be written a little different. It is still in Harry’s perspective but written as a transcription of what Harry describes to his lawyers, Huge and Keira. The intent is to compile the depositions of several individuals experiences to make a case to better the outcome for a murderer.

The day after encountering Louis while he was working on developing a new act, the ticker at the club counts down. Louis is going to be doing the performance Harry has seen once. Thought of it intimidateHarry. To ward off his emotions about Louis coming on stage as the evening’s headliner, Harry preoccupies himself with more of the mundane tasks of the club business until the club reaches peak hours. He has, however, bought some of his own appropriate “floor attire” that he changes into before he reluctantly joins Liam and the security team on the floor.

There is unquestionably a more frenzied crowd on an evenings that offer The Tease as the headliner. Once again, Louis has not come in as early as the other strippers have. How Louis operates with his own set of rules is something Harry wants to review with Liam.

Harry positions himself in the best place on the floor to see Louis when he is on the stage. Once the lights go out, DJ Shamus makes the announcement, introducing The Tease. Harry realizes his heart is racing.

Like before, Louis is sitting on his chair, facing away. The crowd mesmerized as he makes his moves. Harry’s cock immediately responds to the sight of Louis. Once he is twerking, jiggling his booty, Harry is made wet with pre-cum. Several men closest to Harry have their dicks out, clearly hoping to have Louis notice them. Harry wants to force himself to look away before Louis begins to bounce on the chair once Louis has positioned the dildo up, but Harry can’t. He has to torture himself watching how Louis fucks himself to orgasm, the spatter of his jizz making Harry lick his lips wanting a taste, just like the song’s lyrics say.

Once Louis goes onto the floor, Harry fears the response he knows his body will do if Louis is to take one look at him, a glare on Louis’ countenance or not.

With a pair of bouncers following Louis once they’ve brought him to the club floor, one proceeds to take rolls of cash from the parting sea of hopeful admirers. Louis looks past Harry. He takes a path to pass close enough to Harry that the scent of Louis has Harry fighting the urge to touch himself for what Louis triggers, a want is stirring in his core.

Louis reaches his victim. He goes to his knees on the floor, gripping the massive black cock of the well-muscled man who Louis has chosen. Attractive, well hung, the lucky bloke couldn’t be any more different that Harry in his kind of beauty. Others near Louis and le choix-déjour obstruct Harry’s view. This is better; perhaps Harry doesn’t need to see it. He knows how it feels to have those delicate hands and skilled mouth oh his cock, his balls fondled, the sensation of Louis swallowing every drop he pulls from The Chosen One.

Then, there is also the experience of looking down at Louis’ face. Harry knows that at one’s feet, how the fantastically sculpted cheekbones look from above, and the eyelashes so full as they are pressed over honey-colored skin. Adding to this is the music, the crowd around making their comments, they wanting to be a part of your show as you are aware only of a suck, suck, suck sound as Louis works your cock with his skilled hands and mouth. Despite that Harry is not the one, thoughts of this has Harry experiencing a mini orgasm, and as he experiences this he loses grasp on what is happening for a second or two. It’s enough time to miss tracking precisely what happens next. Before Harry catches on, the fellatio is aborted; Louis is being lifted out of the crowd by a bouncer who wraps Louis into his broad chest thus taking Louis’ feet well off the floor. This bouncer passes Louis over to another one of the club’s muscular security team as if they’ve executed this kind of extraction before.

Following the teamwork to strip Louis away, there is a flurry of activity to hurry Louis off the club floor. This results in a brawl breaking out in the crowd around where Louis had been sucking the cock of a large, endowed, muscular, gorgeous black man.

Harry can barely catch on to what triggered this before Liam is pulling him by the arm. Several others bouncers are coordinating to diffuse the fights on the floor. Harry catches the look of gutted exasperation on the face of the man Louis had been sucking off. One of the bouncers is talking to the abandoned fellatio recipient; it seems the retraction of Louis’ favors is being handled. It remains unclear to Harry what precipitated the sudden interruption when he gathers some understanding as Liam explains all this disruption while leading Harry toward the back of the club and the office.

Standing outside the closed office door are two uniformed police officers and the same two bouncers who abruptly took Louis from the floor. By leaving the club floor, Harry and Liam can more easily hear each other. Liam clarifies.

“You didn’t see them come in, did you? I didn’t want you to get in the middle of something that you don’t understand and make things worse. My guess is that you really don’t know how things were working when your father was here, which explains how you are blindsided by the stuff your father keeps locked. I assume, maybe, this type of visit is a surprise to you as well.”

Harry hasn’t a clue what Liam is talking about. This visit? The police is here? Is the club finally busted?

The presence of two police at the office door, the way Louis was ripped out of his performance, hints that the situation is tenuous. Hasn’t Harry already rightfully shared his concern over Louis’ sort of violation?

Liam only nod a greeting to the two uniformed officers. He does not invite then into the office as Harry is expecting. Surely they entered the club, witnessed what Louis was doing, the violation so massive that now the strip club faces immediate closure.

This is why it’s even more confusing when Liam simply stays outside the office door. He introduces Harry to the two police, Danes and Ripley, standing sentry like the royal guard. The entire scene unfolding is one of such casualty, calm, almost a friendly acceptance, it strikes Harry as another bizarre-oddity. Chit-chat ensues, one of the police, Danes, asks, “How upset the patron Louis abandoned was with the extraction”.

Liam’s response, “We have it handled, would like a better warning but, okay, it is what it is.”

Stymied by all this, Harry jumps in. “Excuse me Liam, can someone explain what is handled and warning about what? Where is Louis and why are our… our police buddies here?”

Liam responds dismissively. “Haven’t gotten a single hint about law-enforcement handing us a pass on things, perhaps even something like a missing person.”

Harry’s struggling with the cryptic suggestion when he begins to notice the sounds coming from the office. Noises like thumping, the sounds of a man making guttural noises, muffled words. It dawns on Harry there is something sexual happening on the other side of the closed office door.

“Is someone in there with Louis?” Harry searches the faces of the others standing outside the door with him. The answer is written on their faces.

“So, you know, your father set up the arrangement years ago, when Louis began stripping at eighteen. This arrangement is what keeps this club untouchable. A touch for a touch, your father made as a bargain. Ben Winston, Inspector Ben Winston, has been a regular here for years. Louis was partner to this arrangement.”

***

Inspector Winston is not as Harry expected when the door opens and the man whom Harry was hearing with Louis steps out.

He’s tall, handsome, the shirt he has on he is now buttoning up. The suit he wears says he is more moneyed than a regular bloke working in law enforcement. Seeing Harry, he gets a slight smile, nods at Liam before extending a hand like to introduce himself saying, “This is the young Mr. Styles, I presume. I see the resemblance with your lovely mother. Winston, Ben, you can just call me Ben if you like.”

Harry takes the hand offered and stifles a range of conflicting emotions that swell up in him. Harry simultaneously finds Ben attractive and yet revolting. Revolting because his access to Louis creates massive jealousy, surprisingly

“Okay, so I’m a bit confused.” A bit confused is an understatement. It’s the safest thing Harry can think to say with this turn of events.

“Are we still?” Ben says checking to see if his clothes are all tidied. Fly zipped. Tie beginning to be redone. “I was informed by Liam a couple days ago how he had to give you a look at the way things have been operating because, apparently, your father was very successful at keeping a side of the strip club hidden for years. It’s funny because, when I met you mother and she was pressing for the investigation to go on as to the disappearance, it was such a surprise. To be honest, I always assumed she’d discovered her husband’s dirty little secrets and wanted him dead. Hired a hit. The fact that she has no inkling of history is only slightly more surprising that to learn that neither her nor her son have any clue. How charming, I must say, such a naive family.”

“History, a hidden dark side? A hit? Are you saying my father was murdered?” Cautious of where this conversation is going, confused about much of everything, the one thing Harry knows is his mother is completely unaware how much worse everything associated with the club is than she knows. Her missing husband has an arrangement with an inspector and everything hinges on a lad the same age as her own son, a person who is engages in public sexual acts, performances or not, which keeps some pack, arrangement, together between two conspirators.

“I never said that Harry, it hasn’t been discovered what actually happened. And given how closely your father was monitoring everything with Louis, it’s possible someone was put out by not having their chance at the show, similar to like what just happened earlier. You saw how frustrating it is when one is almost getting Louis and things are cut off. Sometimes that is going to happen, I can’t have my needs working around anyone else’s, not when I have a reputation to maintain, a professional, public standing. Unfortunately, tonight I had to move the timeline along, come earlier,” Ben actually laughs like it just occurs to him he said “cum earlier”. His amusement, he notes, isn’t a shared laughing matter to anyone else, so he cuts to the point with his authoritarian attitude over access to Louis.

“I come when I want, I take what I want. Louis, he’s pretty special to me.” Ben looks to Liam adding, “Be expecting me on my usual schedule this Tuesday. I couldn’t pass on coming early tonight. It’s been a hell of a day and I need to have my little twink before he was fucked out by some nameless random. Besides, I left enough energy in him for your liking Liam, that is, unless the son is like the father.”

The way Ben looked at Harry and put out the idea of father and son share a lifestyle has Harry getting that skin-crawling sensation.

Reservation for Louis made Ben walks toward the side exit that only staff use. His two uniformed associates follow. Each give Harry a glance over. Are they gathering details to speculate about a father and son share behaviors like Ben postulates? Harry assumes so.

The two club bouncers go the other way, toward the club floor. Harry is left outside their office with Liam, Liam who offers to direct Harry into the office as if this is customary night.

On a couch that Harry had left covered in various piles of paperwork he was organizing is Louis. All the piles have been unceremoniously tossed to the floor.

Louis, with sweat coating his body, is laying face-up, legs sprawled wide, and his face has a perplexing mix of beauty and fatigue, as if he has been properly wrecked. Ben must be a vigorous top from appearances. It’s not lost on Harry how Louis’ bum has a trail of viscous dribbles that pool under it. He’s just laying there, dripping cum, looking so very well… well used. Harry wants Louis to look at them but Louis doesn’t make eye-contact. Instead, Louis is looking at the back of the couch like the pattern of the embossed leather on the backrest cushions hold some particular fascination for him.

Liam kneels on the floor to the side of Louis. He adjust Louis’ hair. “Hey baby, do you want me to get him out of your head?” Liam hesitates before saying, “Or him?”

The reference to Harry having a go at Louis has Louis no longer looking away. Louis sets a glare on Harry with such anger that it sears Harry with the skin crawling feeling. “No! I find him revolting!” Louis snaps.

How Louis can say that with such animosity while his eyes look at Harry’s lips like something compelling attraction makes him is beyond Harry’s ability to rationalize with any logic. Louis hates him. It’s obvious. Louis loves the look of him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Liam, and Ben Winston, two unnamed police associates of Winston’s  
The one where Harry learns how Louis is getting regular dicking from the Inspector. There is suspicion hinted about Harry’s missing father and foul play. 4/5


	6. Lilo, with a side of Zayn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry’s affliction or where Harry learns what a willing cock whore Louis is. Zayn clarifies a few things about the relationship between Louis and Harry’s father.  
***  
Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

It’s obvious that Louis’ infatuation at first sight with Harry is replaced by complete hatred for the reluctant new strip club owner.

Liam doesn’t argue on Harry’s behalf. He stands up and begins stripping off his clothes. Louis resumes ignoring Harry. He remains sprawled and only looks at Liam when Liam has taken a place on the couch.

Hovering over Louis, between the parted legs of the lovely stripper, Liam presents himself. 

Liam, Harry learns, is huge. His massive cock is both thick and long. Liam has a semi but since he is so large, his dick can’t lift without assist. Louis takes it with a hand challenged to grip its girth. Liam brings his lips to Louis’ and they kiss with Louis holding Liam’s cock. 

It looks like Liam enjoys the kiss; his cock hardens out fully. The hand that isn’t holding Liam’s cock runs over Liam’s extremely hard body. Harry feels a sickening conflict. Should he stay and watch? Should he go? Should he challenge all of this sorted behavior or succumb? 

Watching Liam with a wanting Louis, realizing Liam is going to stuff his meat in Louis’ cum filled hole, fuck the jizz out of Louis, Harry retreats out of the office where he stands just outside the open door, heart racing, mind spinning, his own dick getting so stiff in his pants the conflict of three questions is crippling.

He gets an immediate confirmation of Liam’s hasty penetration.

“God Louis, you’re so wet, hot,” Liam stops with what Harry assumes is a kiss. There’s a humming sound, probably Liam making it during a kiss before he resumes cooing over his mate. “Made a mess of your sweet ass, so messy.”

Louis response. “Fuck his shit outta me, punish me with that massive cock of yours, breed me, Li, fill me hole.”

“Oh yes baby,” more kissing interrupts Liam. Is Liam initiating it? Is Louis? How deep is Liam buried in that tiny lad’s fat bum? How good does it feel to be so buried? Did Ben leave him wet with cream-pie, sloppy and loose? Is Louis going to come if he’s fucked just right and not so very long after he got himself off for the entire club to see? 

Harry is sifting through all these questions when Zayn coming toward him interrupts his thoughts. 

Zayn is put together in his model-like, hipster fashion. He stops by Harry having said nothing before he peers in to where the other two are finally having a go at a pace Harry can gather from the repetitive sounds of one hot body slapping against another body.

Zayn’s lack of reaction to the sight of them is yet another confirmation this is a customary habit. 

“Got a message from Niall that Ben showed up early, put a halt on Louis’ pick of the night being used, got shagged by Ben instead. By the looks of you, this is more new information to you.”

Ignoring how loud the ongoing sex in the room Harry is outside of has become, Liam praising Louis, Louis bitching at Liam, Harry isn’t sure what new information is the most critical information to question.

“This is the most fucked mess, what’s next? I learn tomorrow Louis has secretly killed my father, Robert’s body is stuffed in a locked wardrobe somewhere in the strippers’ dressing room?”

Zayn laughs. Laughs, lights up a cigarette while standing right under a no smoking sign. “Louis killing your father? Hardly the type to murder someone even if your father put money away every time Louis gets a good dicking.”

Zayn does an insultingly dismissive patting gesture on Harry’s shoulder while deliberately looking down at Harry’s crotch to insure Harry knows what Zayn knows; Harry’s pants have a visible wet spot. It’s evident, despite Harry’s professed mortality that Harry has an erection again created by Louis-Want. Given how in the background of their conversation Louis is being unabashedly loud, demanding, bitchy how Liam sounds to pound him, Zayn puts Harry’s suggestion about Harry’s father aside. 

Unzipping his own pants before he leaves Harry to join the other two, Zayn makes a parting comment. “Gonna stuff that sassy mouth with my cock until Liam has him crying from how good it is getting a proper dicking.”

Harry resolves to take only one look before he decides that he has to go. The spilt second peek reveals how Liam has Louis impaled with what must have made a perfect press on Louis’ sweet spot because the twink is splattering cum everywhere. His scream is muted by Zayn’s dick filling his mouth while Zayn pins Louis’ head to a position of Zayn’s liking. Zayn didn’t bother to take his pants down more than the minimal he needed. His expression, like Liam’s, shows he lost in the feel of Louis.

Louis, who looked exhausted when Harry saw him after Ben, looks particularly beautiful, like a natural, being split-roasted as if Louis is meant to be so wrecked. 

Then it hits Harry; like father like son is more true than anyone knows. This has become Harry’s affliction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Liam, Zayn
> 
> This picks up immediately after Ben Winston interrupted Louis’ intended post-performance interlude with a lucky audience member. Instead it is Ben who takes Louis to fuck. This is where Harry realizes that Ben has something of authority over the club. Louis’ makes “a payout” to the Inspector, enables the club’s elicit pornography, to make a lot of money for Harry’s family business. Also Harry witnesses how Louis does other things quite willingly like getting split roasted by Liam and Zayn.


	7. Affliction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis has his own affliction; it might just be how the sight of Harry affects him. Also, drinks aren’t the only things Niall serves on the bar.
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

Transcription continues as taken from Harry’s experiences. 

It’s the way Louis traces his own skin, his fingers so delicate, watching how they glide over his body with a fluidity that would surely make those who watch this ache for its softness. This is enhanced by how Louis also combines subtle moves, like a turn of his head with it dropping back, suggesting that he is dreaming of someone else’s touch other than his own.

After that, Louis exposes his neck and his flawlessly silky skin, the act presenting a notion of begging for lips to kiss it. It becomes apparent to Harry that this display is with Louis sat on the floor, where he has his luscious thighs spread wide, his ass sat over his heels by how Louis’ legs are folded under him is the beginning of a new act that will be magical.

Harry is only watching a rehearsal. One where Louis wears only tight briefs, with the fabric of the smallest of briefs that don’t hide the outline of his dick. Infrequently, and deliberately, Louis imitates a rub with his hand over his crotch. Usually he starts the rub then pulls away. He always does this along with dropping his head back, licking his lips again suggesting that he is begging for that touch which he steals from himself to be a tease. The act is so crafted as to drawl in the observer in, making them want to put themselves in the scene with Louis.

Harry realizes that he needs to avoid doing the self-torturing act of witnessing this sort of thing. Especially ever since the introduction of Ben and the new awareness of how this club relies on Louis’ activities. Even though Louis is merely rehearsing, with Louis not fully nude, it is not really possible for Harry to watch even a few minutes without having an immediate urge to have Louis. Harry can’t fathom how the DJ Steve who works with Louis during these rehearsals manages to not succumb to the arousal Louis’ erotica creates.

It has been several days since Harry has overseen the rapid progression of this new act. It has become so well composed with the blending of the DJ remixed music to the movements that, at this point, Louis is down to the refinement of the moves, the littlest of details perfected that builds up to the suggestion of intimacy. Somehow, in a club packed with lust, Louis will again manage to create a performance that is meant to make every person watching feel like they are the only one, the only person, for Louis. Adding to that need Louis builds in his followers is their knowledge, if they are regulars, that when Louis finishes his stage portion of the act that he will take it to the public floor. There, Louis will walk among the fevered, seek out a person he finds attractive, take to his knees and do felatio for all present to see. Following that, often times apparently, Louis might invite his selection backstage for more. 

It doesn’t matter that Louis will have just fucked himself to orgasm on his custom-made chair while on stage. Louis is insatiable. The introduction to the inspector who has sex with Louis only to be followed by Louis doing a threesome with Liam and Zayn has proven this to Harry.

The rehearsals Louis has been doing is why Harry has decided to come in extremely early on this particular day, hoping to avoid seeing anymore of Louis and Steve refining the new performance.

This is essential, given that the day before Louis had stopped rehearsing in baggy trackers and hoodies. Louis’ act had reached a level so close to perfection. Louis had moved on to doing what would be called a “dress rehearsal”, in Louis’ case, undress-rehearsal. Louis had begun wearing only the tiniest of skin-tight boxer briefs. The satin briefs hardly covered his bum. Both ass cheeks peaked out from the bottom of them, being closer to what the other performers would strip down to than to start with. Of course, that is because the other strippers perform actual striptease, not porn.

Porn star describes Louis best, given how he always begins his act with more exposure than meet the legal standards for the club. He always comes for the audience by purposefully fucking himself on his chair.

So it is that to Harry’s surprise, in his early arrival he finds that Niall is at the club very early too. A delivery truck from the distributor is the reason for Niall’s timing. As Harry heads to his office. It looks like Niall and the truck driver are confirming the paperwork listing the order with the boxes that have been offloaded, so Harry goes unnoticed when he is met with another surprise.

Louis...

Louis is laying on the office couch. He’s gagged. His hands are tied behind his back. A rope around his ankles binds them together then the rope trails up his backside to meet and wrap around Louis’ wrists. His clothes are in a pile on the floor, trackers, and a hoodie. In his bound state, Louis wears only a pair of those skimpy, tight, butt-cheeks exposing tiniest of briefs.

Harry races to him. Pulls off the gag and unties the silky rope that has been tightly binding Louis’ wrists and ankles. He uprights Louis who was laying on his side. Once he does this Louis snaps at him.

“Don’t touch me! Fucking don’t touch me!”

Harry stands up, backs away, utterly shocked at the venom in Louis’ tone. “What? Are you telling me that you were happy being tied and gagged like that?”

“Yes, you fucking idiot, what the fuck do you think?” More venom and the glare. The glare that says Louis hates Harry.

With an added huff sound that is entirely too cute because it hints of something like a tiny kittens hiss, Louis stands up. Perhaps, his choice to stand was too soon and not enough blood flow was restored from being tied, because Louis no sooner stands then he falls into Harry.

It’s a natural reaction for Harry to catch him, steady him and in the second or two that this takes Harry, he notes how Louis’ eyes go to his mouth right before Louis plants a kiss on Harry’s lips, exactly like he did the other day in a similar scenario of Harry innocently putting Louis on his feet. It’s the way Louis’ tongue pushes into Harry’s mouth, fleetingly yet insistent enough to take Harry’s heart as it sends a shiver through Harry. How does someone press their lips to his with such balance? How do they tease such a subtle mix of tongue play?

Harry lets the kiss happen, though he’s sure he should not. Sure enough, same as before, Louis’ hand comes swift following the kiss to place a searingly painful slap on Harry’s face.

“Fucking, fuck, god stop that!” Louis screams.

Harry doesn’t like the stinging pain, but god, the kiss that proceeded it was sublime.

Louis’ body takes to shaking like he’s cold in a room that is quite warm. His eyes look to Harry’s mouth again. Harry feels the want in Louis to kiss him. It’s a want for a kiss metered with hate.

Harry steps back farther with an awareness that Louis is listing like the uncontrollable trembling, the affliction Harry creates, nearly makes him yield to _The Want _all of which is a conflicting challenge for Louis. No control.

What stops what would surely be another kiss is Niall’s timing. He runs into the office, to Louis, to wrap Louis in his arms.

“You’re here early,” Niall, surprised, says to Harry. To Louis he puts a kiss on Louis’ bare shoulder, “you come with me, hum?”

Niall grabs the clothes from the floor, clothing in hand, arms going around Louis. Louis continues to offer a confused glare at Harry despite that his eyes keep seeking Harry’s mouth, his tongue licks his lips as his body shudders ever so slight despite his chaperone’s cuddle.

“Can’t decide how to proceed with things. Here, the strip club, because there are simply too many layers of confusing conditions, questionable arrangements made.” Harry offers to Niall as the reason for this oddly early work hour. He says this cooly, like he is still weighing whether to keep the club operating or to take it down. It’s within Harry’s rights to closed the doors permanently. The words “questionable arrangements” referring to the Winston bargain to turn a blind eye to the club’s star performer’s pornographic exposé.

Louis speaks with a razor sharp edge in a retaliatory response. “Can’t you leave, leave things as they are rather than get in the middle of what you don’t understand? You’ll get your money; you don’t have to make some moral judgements, unless you want to put the judgements on the people that _actually_ deserve them.”

Niall starts to tug on Louis. For the first time it appears to Harry that Louis is shaking due to rage. Also for the first time, Harry wonders if what Ben said was somehow a possibility. Could this tiny, massively messed up stripper be capable of murder?

Louis adds as Niall is tugging him from the office, “You should just leave, leave well enough alone Harry, don’t show your perfect face...”

With the words “perfect face” Louis has a falter. It’s Harry’s mouth Louis’ eyes still fix on. He licks his lips again. He looks at Harry’s crotch. Another lick.

Harry would love to say anything that makes The Wanting-Louis to stay but Niall effectively wrangles Louis out of the office.

Waiting only long enough to try to construct a way to go back at Louis with a rational, reciprocal challenge, Harry goes to confront the two of them. He reaches the side door when a ring at the door indicates another delivery. Harry opens the door to find there is a woman in her forties with a garment bag in her hands.

“Delivery for Louis.”

The woman hands Harry a tablet. On the screen, it shows that the delivery requires a signature. Harry signs. The woman hands him the garment bag. What Harry can see of it through semi-transparent bag is something about the size of a typical suit but the item looks to be mostly made of feathers.

“Tell him I made them so they should fit and operate exactly like we discussed, but if he needs me to come by later to adjust the fitting I can do that. I think this will work perfectly.”

Harry assures the woman he will relay the message, thanks her, closing the door he goes to the dressing rooms to hang the bag. He half expects he will find Louis and Niall there but they are not.

Uncertain if Niall and Louis left through a front entrance or if he is alone at the club, he goes to the public floor. As soon as he is through the set of doors that separate that space from the back corridor he hears them.

“Louis, oh fuck, you’re tight. Being a little too hasty, ah, ah, god...”

The sight is surely yet another massive club violation. Should a health inspector walk in, what would explain a club bartender laying on the bar where he is being ridden by a cock-whore stripper?

This recreation must have begun somewhat hastily as Niall is still wearing his clothing, shirt open, pants naturally too, his ass is bared, planted on the bar being the recipient of what is a reckless dick-riding by Louis, who sits straddling over him.

“Gonna make Zayn eat your cum outta me, give him a taste, oh, yas, ohhh...”

The way Louis looks when his back arches as he begins to come; his cock jerks with each pulse, sends a splatter of his cum with some hitting his torso, some Niall’s as neither of them have a hand on his cock. This has to have created more intense sensation on Niall’s dick because Niall’s wails of pleasure that quickly begins to sound like it’s a mix of pain with it being so intense. He smacks Louis’ ample bottom as Louis continues to beat his asre down on the lad under him.

How Louis can be planning to be with Zayn before he’s even finished Niall is precisely a testimony to what an absolute cock slut whore Louis is. Much too hard to conceive how Harry’s father got wrapped up in this arrangement with an inspector to take on this, Harry goes to his office to suffer his conundrum in solitude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Niall, Zayn, Steve
> 
> *** 
> 
> The one where Harry has difficulty with the growing desire for Louis caused by getting advance look the new act Louis is rehearsing. And the one where Louis fucjks Niall on the bar after he has a spat with Harry.


	8. Demonic Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Premiere night for Louis’ new performance-art porn act.
> 
> Music cited: “Don’t Call Me Angel”, “Teeth”
> 
> ***  
Massive 💛 to the Lovely @babypinklouis for bravely tackling Beta-task of this chapter!

Transcription continues, with more of Harry’s pov.

Having caught the development of each stage of Louis’ new act during daytime rehearsals, Harry knows the new performance is going to be a treat.

Liam asked Harry to come in a little earlier for them to go over the necessities that a premier night demands of the club employees. Harry notices, as he passes by the dressing room, that even some of the strippers are there very early too. Steve is in the room talking with Tinzy. They are both looking at what is hanging at Louis’ station. The feathered item Harry signed for is out of the bag. It looks to be a pair of wings that Louis will wear during the new act. Steve and Tinzy are inspecting the costume piece with shared admiration. Harry hears Steve saying, “I’m telling you, this is going to be a really good night, Louis has an edginess to this act that is gonna make them wild. He seems angry all the time since...”

Harry does not hear “since what”.

He doesn’t need to. 

It is obvious. He spawns anger in Louis. Despite that, Louis has been compelled twice to kiss Harry. Kiss and then literally strike out.

Liam looks to have come from the gym. Wearing a muscle shirt, his brawn is well displayed. He greets Harry with a smile, “Harry, hey thanks for coming in so early today. I wanted to talk to you about tonight before it’s too close to opening; about staffing, so I have time to contact employees. With Louis premiering the new act tonight, you know how the crowds are always more intense on the nights he is headlining, but it’s going to get much more with premiering a new act. I know you’ve been focusing on numbers, efficiency, the bottom line, but tonight I wanted to put more staff on doing security, we’ll need it, I assure you. Thought you should meet the extra personnel, since these are part-time employees I usually only call in on a needed basis.”

Harry makes his way to the couch. He sits down, runs a hand over the leather. The leather that has been where routinely Louis is touched. Harry wondered aloud. 

“Will Louis be making a selection from the crowd tonight?”

Liam might easily guess Harry’s motivation. 

“Maybe. We never know. He is what he is, does what he wants.”

“More staff security is a good idea. Go with your instincts Liam. I’m not gonna meddle in this club’s affairs forever. I’m really only here for my mother, to be helping with the whereabouts of my father.”

Liam takes the meaning to be that Harry still considers himself too good for this place. “So I gather.” Liam says.

***

It is almost as if Louis makes the club into a living creature of some type. The dynamics of the club is so different that it’s hard for Harry to ignore how much the magnitude of excitement is elevated by the Tommo Tease coming on within an hour and offering a new act. 

Steve is the MC/DJ for the premier night. When he works the club’s board, he never wears a shirt. His long, silky black hair and Asian heritage makes him stand out from the other two DJs and he has his own little following of fans, from what Harry has observed. Harry has made rounds of the club floor like clockwork to know exactly when Louis arrives.

It is only after Harry spots Zayn hanging out in the dressing room that he has confirmation Louis is on sight. So far, Louis’ voice, distinctive with his thick accent, hasn’t caught Harry’s ear. It’s funny that of all the things attractive about Louis, the quality of his voice is one thing Harry loves the most. Knowing one of the three songs Louis will perform to is Louis’ own, Harry wonders if he’ll ever be so lucky to hear what Louis sounds like if he were to sing.

A little later, when Harry goes past the dressing room, he sees that indeed Zayn is gone. So is Louis’ special chair. It’s twenty minutes until Tommo. This is the time that the crowd will begin to shout out the count down at each passing minute with a fevered yearning.

Harry decides to make sure he finds a good position before the final minute of the countdown. By good position, he intends to stand some place central, but near the back of the club where Louis won’t easily see him. 

The moment comes when the lights go off, again the only illumination is the soft lights over the bar, the exit signs, the crowd hushes. Breaths held. Harry guesses he is not alone in feeling like his heart is racing with anticipation.

The first song begins with the lights down. Harry knows both of these new pop culture releases and has heard how Steve has remixed them during rehearsals in coordination with Louis’ moves for this new act. It’s fascinating how different these custom remixes are from the other songs Louis used in his previous performance set. Also intriguing is how Louis elects to use music of his own creation in between two easily recognizable songs and yet the audience doesn’t know anything about this talented, songwriter-side of Louis. 

Slowly, the lights come up. The leadoff song, “Don’t Call Me Angel”, makes what Louis has chosen to wear have perfect theatrical conceptualization. Sure enough, he wears the large feathered wings strapped on his torso with a leather harness, the type popular among fantasy S and M wear. He also wears a tiny, thin, very sheer, black lace jockstrap. The wide, lace strap is feminine looking and it does leave his hole exposed. His junk visible too through the barely-there, small patch of lace fabric that covers it.

In the previous act Louis began seated, facing away, the chair’s backrest positioned facing to the crowd. This time, he begins standing, facing the audience, his chair positioned with the seat facing forward to the club floor. For certain, if the music video for ‘Don't Call Me Angel’ is intended to have a sexual, edgy look to its choreography the impact of the video is nothing when compared to Louis’ steps. With Steve’s help, the remix has brought out the perfect blend of the idea Louis is selling. Specific words of the lyrics smack as perhaps directed personally at Harry when Harry watches what is his first time seeing the complete work put together in its final, perfected form. Harry is immediately regretting that he is wearing a cock ring. 

“_Boy, don't call me angel/You ain't got me right/Don't call me angel/You can't pay my price/Ain't from no Heaven/Yeah, you heard me right (yeah, you heard me)/Even though you know we fly (though you know we)/Don't call me angel..._”

Whenever Louis moves around the chair, such that his back is to the crowd, he incorporates a little twerking. Louis does this other thing Harry that did not preview in the course of catching some rehearsals. It’s a thing where Louis puts both his hands on his ample cheeks and parts them as a punctuation ending a few seconds of twerking.

As the music plays, “_...don't call me angel when I'm a mess/Don't call me angel when I get undressed/You know I, I don't like that, boy/Uh, I make my money, and I write the checks/So say my name with a little respect,_” his delicate hands slide down to his arse, moving over himself like to peek out from under the folded wings before they pull his cheek apart. This creates such a suggestive imagery, implying something significant like an innocence of birth before becoming raw and literally exposed.

Indeed, by the act of making himself totally exposed, Louis’ tiny hole is shown as the treasure it is; a pretty, tight, pristine, pink promise of delight. 

The lyrics “pretty mouth” strike Harry as particularly scorching, perhaps a personal reference to him. Meanwhile, around him, some club patrons are breaking under arousing pressure Louis has put them under and this is only the first part of Louis’ three-song act. Next to where Harry stands, a couple of lads begin making out, kissing, giving each other a hand job. One of the two has a huge cock. He’s attractive. Harry could see him being the one Louis would pick, should the bloke be able to wait for it.

“_I appreciate the way you watch me, I can't lie/I drop it down, I pick it up, I back it off the county line/I fell from Heaven, now I'm living like a devil/You can't get me off your mind,_” lyrics echo Harry’s growing fear of this gilded, feather-trap he’s allowed Louis to put him in. 

The sentiment continues in the next few lines, “_I appreciate the way you want me, I can't lie (can't lie)/I drop it low, I back it up, I know you wanna think you're mine/Baby, I totally get it, you can't guess so/You can't get me off your mind..._” Oh so true, Harry knows. This part of the performance can’t end soon enough.

The second song begins, no vocals gives Harry hope for reprieving from the seductive torture. Also, the pace and style of Louis’ homoerotic moves changed. He switches to doing a lot of them sitting on the chair, all facing the crowd, his hands gliding over himself and touching all those places anyone watching would want to touch. This part of the performance Harry has seen multiple times. Louis’ hands are going to work over himself as if he might want his lover to do. Indeed, his own caresses softly brush over his neck as he rolls his head side to side or back exposing his neck, his fingers teasing his nips, and _oh, yes_, he uses his mouth to wet his fingers before playing with his nipples. 

The next dramatic change in how Louis moves is when Louis parts his legs, turning so to shift his bum to make his bum be partially off the chair seat. A thigh of one leg he has centered on the seat so that thigh bears most his weight. Louis other leg moves to hook up and over the backrest of the chair. The chair’s distinctive arm shape, like a number seven, helps him make the hook of a leg secure his balance while putting his hole off the seat.

For the first time Harry realizes why this chair was made with a shorter backrest than normal side chairs. This must be one of the considerations for the utility in its custom design. With Louis’ legs spread parted wide, bum shifted so his entrance is off the seat ever so slight, Louis is able to finger himself. Wetting fingers in his mouth as he did earlier when playing with his nipples, he plays at working one, then two fingers, into himself. It’s clear that after he’s had a finger or two in himself he likes to taste them between another round of inserting the fingers in himself. The audience, Harry wonders, share the feeling of being nearly in tears for him, his trancelike mid-performance moves imply this self-fulfillment is what Louis does when he is alone. 

The song, a Louis’ untitled piece, known only to Louis and Steve, fades into another recognizable new release that has been soaring up the charts, “Teeth”, by Five Sauce. 

Fading into ‘Teeth’ initiates another change in the stage lights. With the change, Louis also shifts his orientation to the crowd. The wings have a function that has not been apparent until now. They are constructed so they are not static, Louis can change the arch, or shape of their spread so he can snap them into a different degree of extension or closure if he so chooses. Such a thing he does with the wings, perhaps symbolically, in his dance around the chair that ultimately leads to him in timing with the lyrics “_Sometimes, you're a stranger in my bed/Don't know if you love me or you want me dead_”. 

With the lyrics “_Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth/Late night devil, put your hands on me/And never, never, never ever let go_” Louis shifts, straddles the seat and sits. The inlaid dildo isn’t pulled upright. With it still concealed, Louis begins to mock fuck over the chair’s seat like the dildo is erect to make a sinful tease. He has the wings positioned so that most of his ample bum is exposed, but most of it is not thus creating a more tortuously teasing effect. 

The Tease proceeds to make it more insufferable on those watching. With one hand, he reaches for something rope-like that must have been hanging on the back of the chair’s backrest. The rope, or flexible cord, wasn’t visible because the chair is facing forward and the prop was on the backside of the backrest where it was coiled and hidden. The rope-like prop is about one meter long; it is not simply a rope though because it has some modifications to each end. One end looks like it is shaped in a spade-head conformation. What the form is at the other end it’s harder to make out, in part because Louis holds that end such that his hand obstructs its details. Harry knows there has to be a reason for this prop; this stripper is far more pornstar-cock-whore than other stripper. He does what he chooses for a reason.

With opposite ends of the prop held in either hand, Louis working his arse, doing some mock fucking over the chair seat, he begins to incorporate the rope with his jiggling over the seat of the chair. He moves to thread the prop between his legs. Keeping one end in one hand that is in front of his body the other end in his other hand that is reaching over his shoulder to have the rope held behind him. In this way, by pulling it back and forth, the central section of the cord is able to glaze over his hole as if he is using it to give himself light sensation of friction.

One can only assume that, sure enough, doing this makes his cock more erect. It starts to push its way out of his lacy jock.

When Louis lifts up from the chair, letting go of the rope with the hand that was over his back, once again he adjusts his wings. This time, they are stretching upward which gives a very clear view of Louis’ back, all of his ample bum, and given that he parts his cheeks again for a second or two, of his hole. The hole that he waves in front of the crowd as a deliberate move to make sure everyone can get a good brief look, exhibiting how it has a change in color. What was once pink is now redder from the friction of the rope, red, and maybe needing to feel more.

Louis makes all those watching audibly moan despite the volume of the music as he finally flips up the dildo and then begins fucking himself. This is too much for Harry. He’s desperate to take his cock ring off. 

The song is nearing end when Louis takes himself completely off his toy, he turns to the crowd, going down to his knees on the floor in front of the chair, legs bent, parted, so he is sitting on his heals with his thighs spread wide so everyone can see under his bottom. His red, wanting hole is elevated enough that with those wings still extended upright he arches backwards, puts two fingers back in terminating his act with his fingers impaling himself as he cums. Jizz spatters the stage floor before him. Looking at Louis with fingers in himself, his knees spread to make his thighs parted wide; their trembles revealed Louis is clearly having an intensely pleasurable orgasm with his admiring public watching.

Only when Louis is finished ejaculating, folding his wings down close laying on his back like he’s preparing to leave the stage, Harry take in the nuances of the makeup Louis is wearing. The lights have changed again so it is possible to see more clearly the effect. Louis has on dark eyeliner and some other contouring accentuating his cheekbones. 

Also notable is how something red begins dripping down Louis’ jaw from one side of his mouth. Louis has used the theatrical technique of biting a capsule that was in his mouth to create an illusion like this demon pornstar has taken a bite, bled someone. This is when the rope-prop he still has with him in one hand comes back into use. Before Louis comes to the edge of the stage to take to the public floor, Louis proceeds to insert one end of, a plug Harry now recognizes it to be, into himself. It is apparent that the spade end to the cord-plug hybrid toy is meant to suggest Louis is not angel. He is a devil’s spade-tail demon. The fallen angel himself.

Louis is simultaneously sinfully seductive and somewhat scary. For Harry, this creates more fear about this entire act, making some inference about Louis‘ mental state and the status of missing club owner Robert Twist.

The strangest idea occurs to Harry, the idea that he should leave immediately, right then, quickly, turn and run. Before he acts on the impulse, Louis has been assisted down from the stage. The crowd is parting around him like always as they revere him. Patrons are extending their hands to his muscular escorts, offering wads of cash. Into the pail, one bouncer adds the demon-demigod offerings as he walks behind Louis. Another two bouncers are slightly to the side and behind Louis, just in case anyone breaks the no-touching rule. Everyone Louis passes by is having a good look at Louis’ ass, butt-plugged with a devil’s tail dangling. The demon-demigod is on the hunt for a lucky victim.

Harry is gripped with fright when Louis spots him. A glare and a direct, hurried march right up to Harry follows, so it is clear that Harry was Louis’ intention all along.

Harry is simultaneously frozen with fear and yet burning with arousal when Louis drops to his knees, begins to undo Harry’s pants without no hesitation; a hand pulls out Harry’s adorned dick. The sight of the cock ring has Louis laughing as he looks to his security detail and instructs them what is his bidding to be done to Harry, club owner or not.

“Put him on the floor.” 

Louis has made Harry so light-headed that he could drop down himself with the touch of a single feather from those wings Louis wears. He shouldn’t, but Harry wants Louis so badly.

Louis crawls over Harry. His focus doesn’t start with what is at Harry’s crotch. Instead, the first thing Louis does is a long lick with his tongue, running from the base of Harry’s neck up to the underside of Harry’s lower jaw before he does a new adjustment of his wings. The wings repositioned put Harry and Hovering Demon Louis under a tent-like shield the wings create. Those watching can no longer see their upper bodies since they are partially hidden by a winged-tent. This wing position does however leave fulling expose, for the pleasure of the on looking crowd, Louis’ plugged bum, Harry’s lower body as Louis straddles Harry under him.

Harry feels next a couple things in concert with each other that makes him unsure of what to think. In their tent-like hiding spot, Louis begins to kiss him as he uses one hand to release the cock ring. As soon as the ring is off Louis, must have immediately pulled out his plug because Harry is met with the sensations of his knob being pressed into Louis’ welcoming hole. This Louis does as he muffles Harry with the continuing kiss.

This kiss feels entirely different from those Louis initiated before. Louis delves his tongue so deep, so sensually that he makes Harry’s cock penetration a sort of loss on Harry. Before Harry can conjure anything about how deep his cock has gotten into this tiny demon or about how he should respond to his stripper putting him on the floor and fucking him in public, he feels his body imploding as his dick seeds cum deep in Louis. Louis, who stays at having Harry forced to take his kiss, made this orgasm happen with such ease Harry can only helplessly lay on the club floor and ride out a wave of pleasure.

Harry gets a sense of coming out of their wing-made cocoon when his dick stops the breeding, but it’s the absence of the kiss that has him opening his eyes. Eyes registering what is a sight of horror.

Louis has sat upright when he shifted the wings. The one side of his chin still has the red from the sweet strawberry-watermelon flavored red substance he used to emulate blood. His body still holds Harry’s cock stuffed deep in his hole. Apparently, in concert with the repositioning of the wings, Louis was able to extract yet another prop that he holds in both hands. Arms extended high up over his head so everyone around them can see what it is he has in hands. The object horrifies Harry who is trapped cock buried. 

A flash of light reflecting off the long, metal-looking object has Harry closing his eyes right as Louis initiates thrusting the object downward at him.

This appearance of Louis with a knife, which he plunges like to stab Harry, makes everything that happens next feels like it is proceeding in slow motion. All Harry can do is pray with his eyes closed as he hears the sounds of the crowd. They gasp. Paralyzed with the feeling of horror, Harry does too.

No pain comes. Harry opens his eyes. On the floor, on one side of Harry’s head, is one of Louis’ hand that still grips shiny metallic-looking object that Louis thrusted. It has a plastic metallic sheath on one end and a feather on the handle end, explaining how it was hidden throughout the entire performance with the use of the wings.

Harry is just about to become relieved by the belief it was merely a plaything, not an actual knife that Louis almost thrusted into his prey under him when Louis unsheathes what is a smaller, real knife. 

Horror renewed, Harry hears the crowd cry out a second wave that is a mix of shrieks and gasps as Louis proceeds to use the real knife that he unsheathed to swiftly make a superfine, but long, cut into his own skin on his chest over his heart.

Louis’ face has a look Harry can’t interpret as more than the pure insanity of this act. Harry can’t complete a thought of what he should do before the security staff nearest leap into action to scoop Louis up. One bouncer lifts Louis off Harry with ease. Harry’s cum drips from Louis’ bottom as the bouncer who took Louis is immediately closed in to be sheltered by another pair of bouncers. The way the security personnel also look visibly shocked by Louis suggests this dramatic termination of the performance must have been a total surprise to them as well.

A fourth bouncer comes to pull Harry from the floor. Pulled back to his feet, Harry receives some form of homage from the surrounding crowd mixed with what can only be described as a measure of concern. Maybe Harry is not alone in fearing for his life with the experience.

Harry, shaken and disoriented, is handed off to Liam who leads Harry by the arm through the crowd. Liam looks to be uncharacteristically unsettled and concerned. “I _had _no idea Louis was doing anything like that Harry. None of us did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Liam, unnamed club employees
> 
> The one where Harry mistakenly believes he is prepared for the newest Tommo Tease performance. He is not. A twist at the end has Harry and everyone caught by surprise. The alarming twist deepens Harry’s concern that his stepfather’s disappearance is linked to a lethal side to Louis’ behaviors.


	9. Abandonment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis’ back story. What Keith did. Introducing Sam. (The events depicted here are referred back to in following chapters.)  
***  
Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

Barristers’ Note: These events are a recreation of what is believed to have happened some fifteen years prior. This is a compilation of information taken from several parties including Louis recalling when he was a child of eight. Louis’ parents Jay and Mark Tomlinson. Records found in Keith Tomlinson’s estate documents. And finally statements in formal depositions from the coworkers of Sam Smith following our client’s sentencing trial. 

*** 

Louis was eight years old when his grandfather, Keith, took him on what was to be an outing to enjoy a professional football game, simply proposed as a grandfather and grandson adventure. Keith told Louis’ mum, Johanna, the mother to his first biological grandchild, Charlotte, what he thought she would like to believe. With Charlotte being just one-year-old, Johanna’s husband and Keith’s son, Mark, working for long days, Keith suggests that it might be nice to give Johanna some time alone with her baby daughter. After all, Louis was an energetic and very spirited young lad. He was at the age where he needed more activity and time among peers or male role models. 

Of course, Johanna had no reason for concern. 

The idea of taking Louis to a Rovers football game, a real football game, where Louis could sit in the stands among other fans and watch, was delightful.

This outing was later discovered to be a rouse, a lie, a complete deception. Keith had never really warmed up to Louis, who was Johanna’s child with another man. Charlotte’s birth had made Keith’s scrutiny of Louis more intense. Keith had increasingly wondered if Louis was a “proper lad”. Proper lad meaning that over the years Louis, while boyish in his fierce interests in sports, was nevertheless, in a word… feminine. By eight years of age, Keith was sure his step-grandson was going to come out one day as a fairy. A pixie.

Maybe it was that Louis looked so much like his gorgeous, delicate, diminutive mother. Perhaps. Or maybe it was the way when baby Lottie arrived, Louis was very naturally gifted with the baby sister, taking an interest in his sister like that of a girly child more than a typical laddy-lad. That cast Louis into the definition of the thing Keith tried not to talk about with Johanna or Mark. Keith, a homophobe, knew in his heart that Louis was gay. Keith even suspected that as an infant child, Louis was deemed so unworthy that that was why his biological father elected to abandon him.

So it is on this one day, as he and Louis head out to the football game, Keith tells Louis how this is a special day, he has a secret to share with Louis, something he hadn’t even told Louis’ mum. 

“Louis, you know your real father is not my son Mark? Well, the secret about today, a surprise I have for you is that you are not going to watch the football game with me today. Your real father, Troy, is going to join you. Enjoy the game with you. Maybe take you for some special treats after. He asked me to bring you to London for the game in the big stadium there.”

Keith might have looked at Louis’ face through the reflection on the rear view mirror as he drove not to the game he had told Mark and Johanna they were going to, but to London. Keith might have seen the little lad, so pretty, so trustingly smiling at the excitement of this big day. If had he never noted those details in his documents. His documents remained hidden in a bank security box only opened for this process after the trial and prompted by the murder of Robert, a murder connected to Louis.

So it is that Keith and Louis make the long drive, heading to the big city. They come to a large stadium, where a crowd is beginning to arrive for a game.

Keith takes Louis to the main gates for entry. He explains to one of the ticket takers that the little boy will be joined by his father. Keith says he is just a delivery person and asks if the ushers can assist the child to his seat. Although Keith has bought two tickets for the game, only one is offered, part of the ploy to need an usher to take Louis to his seat. This secures that the seat next to Louis will be an open seat. Keith weaves a lie for the purpose of deceiving both child and stadium workers who he assumes won’t be concerned because “...his father has the ticket for the seat next to him and will be along soon.”

Simple as that, the ticket taker calls for an usher to escort the child. With Keith dotingly adjusting Louis’ hat and thin jacket, giving Louis a few coins for snacks, Keith adds for effect, “Now don’t worry, when you father joins you I know he will want to buy you lots of treats with his own money. Have fun.”

An usher walks Louis into the stadium, with a wave goodbye, Keith leaves. 

Louis is sat at the seat his ticket reserves. The usher leaves. The crowd for the game fills in little by little. By the start of the game, all seats around Louis are filled, bar one. The seat next to Louis, his father’s seat, remains unoccupied.

Louis is only eight years old. The jacket, a tee shirt, a pair of shorts, a cap and shoes is all Louis has to his name. A name that is not really his. Not according to the grandfather who abandoned him at this huge public event. In Keith’s view, Louis was no Tomlinson.

After the game ends, Louis continues to sit in the seat. The seat he’s never left. His love for football was hardly enough for him to be content to watch the game, since each minute that passed his fear grew as he was alone.

It’s hours later, the day getting darker when a custodial worker at the stadium who has been sweeping and picking up trash left by departed fans comes closer to the lone child as she works. Little by little. The small lad notices how she looks at him, but when he looks at her, she acts as if she wasn’t.

He fidgets nervously. Tries to make himself smaller. Tucks into his jacket. He’s frightened. He’s alone. Is he abandoned?

“Son?” The woman says when she cleans her way to very nearby Louis’ seat. “Are you with anyone? Did your family forget you?”

Louis looks at the custodian for the first time. He’s only eight. What he sees doesn’t makes sense. She is a he. Or he is a she. Whatever she is, she is not like his mum, or other girls he knows. Nor is she like the fathers or grandfathers, brothers, uncles or other boys Louis knows either. She looks like a she. She talks with a voice that is a he. Louis is confused. Afraid. Scared to death that this person will call the bobbies to take him away. Where do abandoned children go? He’s heard stories in books, read about how children who have no families have a horrible life in homes where there are no parents.

“Me father got sick. He couldn’t come. Me grandpa is coming to take me home.”

The nice he-she, at least Louis thinks, must be a nice person because, even though the voice is not a woman’s, it spoke with a woman’s softness. The he-she sits. “Okay, son. Okay. I saw you earlier. Never saw any grownups with you though the entire meet. The seat next to you remained empty. What about this grandfather of yours? You say he is to take you home? How about we go to the parking and see if he is waiting for you there. The game was over two hours ago. Without a ticket, he can’t come in to collect you. If I take you to him, would that be okay?”

Louis gets a rush of relief. Yes. Of course. Without a ticket, his grandfather can’t come to him. His father, Troy, had the other ticket. Of course! He’s not an abandoned. Like the story he made up, his father must have gotten sick. Very sick. And his grandfather can’t come in, so he will be outside the stadium!

Louis immediately becomes the Louis that he naturally is. His face lights up, he begins to chatter about how good the game was. For one so little, he seems big in spirit because he’s not alone. He is not abandoned. He takes the hand offered to him. It’s a man’s hand more than a lady’s, though it takes his hand as a mum would. Soft. Kind. Loving.

“I’m Samantha,” the lady says. “What do we call you?”

“Louis, I’m Louis”. Louis practically skips as he is lead toward the main parking. He’s so happy, free, excited to tell everyone about the game. He’s also hungry so he hopes his grandfather will take him for the treats like his father would have.

***

Two more hours pass. When outside the stadium, in an empty parking lot, Samantha tells Louis something he already knows. 

“Louis, sweetly, um, I think something happened. I don’t think anyone is coming for you. May I take you to get something to eat? You look hungry. You keep chewing on your fingers.”

Louis looks at Samantha’s hands. The nails are long, painted, not all like a man’s though the hands look manlier than they feel.

He nods. He doesn’t cry. 

Louis isn’t a crier.

For the first time he fears he also isn’t loved anymore. 

“Louis.” Samantha asks softly as they leave the empty parking lot of a stadium where a game ended many hours before. “Son what is your name, your full name?”

“Louis William Tom...Tom, Tommo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters:
> 
> Child Louis, Keith Tomlinson, Sam
> 
> The one where Louis is taken from his home by his grandfather to purposefully abandoned Louis at a public sporting event in another city. A stripper who finds eight-year old Louis becomes Louis’ shelter.
> 
> The character of Sam is based on Sam Smith and would be about mid-twenties when he finds the child Louis.


	10. Zayn’s Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange lad shows up at a prestigious academy. His appearance pulls academy students and their young coach into a mystery.
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Academy students are in their final year. Their coach is 22. This is a backstory of events when Louis is eighteen. It occurs about five years before Harry enters Louis’ life.

Barristers’ transcription of recounting Zayn’s story. 

Perhaps, it is because Zayn stands out a little bit more at the prestigious private academy, more than his best mates, Niall and Liam, with his exotic good looks, is why it is Zayn who notices immediately when an odd lad begins to show up, loitering outside the school boundary. It’s always in the mornings, either when the academy lads are casually playing football before classes begin or on Saturday mornings when the official academy football team practices on the campus pitch. 

The thing that is so notably odd about the lad is how he is dressed. It looks as if maybe this stray has gone searching through a bin to find something to wear. Rarely do things fit well. Usually, it is also a rather odd assortment of clothes. Stranger yet is how he usually stays out of sight as much as he can, while clearly enjoying watching them play. This is why every time Zayn has tried to point the odd lad to Liam and Niall, the Strange lad catches on to being noticed and quickly runs off. It became a joke among the three of them. Even their coach, Shawn, eventually gets into teasing Zayn about his stray, his phantom fan.

It’s a typical Saturday morning practice when the joking is put aside. With the field gates open to the street that borders the backside of the academy grounds and the occurrence of an errant kick sending the ball wayward and through the gates. From hiding, the ragamuffin, phantom intercepts the ball before it enters the street.

He brings the ball to the gate’s edge, using skilled ball-handling footwork before launching it back to the players’ field. He executes the pass with such precision it is obvious his intention is to send it to Niall whose poor pass sent it astray.

All the players and their coach are stopped to watch this. This phantom had been much the joke on Zayn, but now the phantom reveals himself. Revealed, and demonstrates that he has some next level football skills. 

Their coach Shawn is joined by Zayn, Liam and Niall at Shawn’s side studying the lad who remains hovering at property edge. It seems the stray doesn’t want to run off this time. He’s holding his ground.

“Looks like your phantom is a phantom no more, Zayn. That is the one, right?”

“Yep. That’s him. See, like I told you, he dresses like he fell into a bin naked and got out of it wearing whatever.” The tone of Zayn’s voice doesn’t say this like he is disparaging the lad. It’s more an empathetic observation. Zayn knows a thing or two about discrimination. Though he was originally from Bradford, a citizen of the UK, he’s experienced his share of disparaging, hurtful comments formed by what he looks like. 

“What do you think he’s doing?” Niall asks while giving a small wave to Zayn’s phantom. The wave is not returned. The Strange lad only stands there returning their study. 

“I’d guess he wants to play.” Shawn says. 

Liam, who was holding the ball, drops it and sends it to Strange Lad. Strange Lad jumps into action to send the ball back. Again this he does with great skill. This execution has Shawn deciding to go talk to him. 

One step by Shawn in the lad’s direction and Strange Lad turns and runs.

Zayn laughs. “I told you Coach, my phantom is shy.”

***

Following the sighting, it became team sport to be the first one to spot the Strange One. Notably, he only ever comes around in the mornings. More and more should the academy lads be joined by the interloper they opt to send the ball to Strange Lad by kicking it either over the school fence or through the service gate, if it is open. The Strange Lad always enthusiastically handles the ball and sends it back.

It’s not lost on the lads of the academy how there is a dense fog of loneliness that wafts off this stranger in their midst.

Zayn decides to bring the subject up with Shawn after a game the Academy lost badly. It had been played on their home pitch. Zayn wonders if he contributed to their loss more than the others did. He waits until the other lads have left and it’s only him and Shawn.

The academy’s new athletic coach is quite approachable. Perhaps because Shawn is barely older than the students of the academy are, since he is straight out of UNI and, unless it is a uniform day, he is indistinguishable from the student body. Thus on game days Shawn frequently has to clarify to other team’s coaches that he really is a coach when meeting competition not familiar with their team. 

“What are you hanging around for?” Shawn asks Zayn as Shawn is making the final touches on some post game notes. 

“I was thinking how I feel responsible for today. Personally. I know I was distracted. My head was not in the game.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Zayn. It’s a team effort. We will meet that club again. We’ll get them next time.”

Zayn shuffles his feet as people do when they have issues repressed that need sharing. “I was wondering where our Strange mascot was. He didn’t come around earlier today.”

“Mascot? Now, that’s funny. He does sort of look like a stray kitten sometimes. So timid and yet you dangle one morsel in front of him by kicking him a ball and he lets out this assertive, feisty side.” Shawn smiles as he recalls what a favorite childhood memory is and shares it with Zayn.

”I remember when I was very little; we were on holiday in the country. We stopped at this small village for some petrol where we found these three stray kittens. I managed to gather them into a box with a piece of cheese, wanting to rescue them despite my parents’ displeasure. I insisted for my parents to get some meat for them. There was only a pub in the small town that served food. Back in the car, on our way again, I was going to pull the meat off the bones and feed them individually. I was really young, you know, five or so, pretty unsophisticated about wild things. Needy things. Anyway, I offered the first kitten a piece of the meat by hand and bam. The little bastard bit me! Now, surely, it meant only to take the meat, but given that it was stray, had not had its vaccinations… my parents, well. I ended up having preventive rabies treatment. My parents made sure to drop the three strays at the shelter. It was awful. Be careful of strays Zayn. Sometimes, intentional or not, they bite.”

“Are you saying ‘don’t get bitten by this stray’?”

“Yes.”

***

“Zayn, the Stray is here.” Liam points out at a practice. Following the conversation between Zayn and Shawn, terms like ‘strange’ and ‘phantom’ were replaced with ‘The Stray’. It has been awhile since the Stray has come around and notably he shows up on this day, a fairly ugly Saturday morning. Given the weather this visit by The Stray is a deliberate choice.

Zayn looks over to where Liam nods. Sure enough standing outside school perimeter is a soaked Stray. Even with the distance between them, it is clear that The Stray shivers.

Once Liam, Zayn and Niall have congregated Shawn joins them to address the teammates lacking focus. 

“You lads going to drag this out all day? We’ve got drills to get...” The frustration in the coach’s tone fades off as he says “done.” Then the frustration reboots with it directed to the drenched, pathetic-looking stray. 

“For fuck’s sake, I mean, blast. Has he no common sense? What the bloody hell.” Shawn stops his rant and shakes his head. “Okay you finish your drills. I’m going put an end to this.”

Shawn takes one step toward the stray. Stray turns a runs. 

This time, Shawn runs after him.

***

By the time Shawn comes back the only students in the locker room, all changed into dry clothing and waiting for their coach, are Zayn, Liam and Niall.

“Well?”

“Well what? I followed him. Wasn’t easy, he had a head start on me and he’s fast. Every time he turned a corner, I lost him for a second. Got really confusing because he didn’t go in a direction of residential units. In fact, he went to a commercial location and that made it really challenging. I wasn’t sure if he went into a store, or an eatery. Or whatever.”

The lads signal with a gesture for Shawn to hurry. “And? Did you catch him?”

“Catch him? No. No, I didn’t. He did fumble with keys at a side door of a business so I nearly did but he unlocked the door, slipped in, the door locked behind him and that was it.”

“The business, what business? Why didn’t you go in through the front door?”

Shawn looks reluctant to supply am answer. “No. I couldn’t. I couldn’t and I would never go in that kind of place.” 

Met with confused faces of the three students, Shawn explains. “Zayn’s stray kitten went through the side door, employee entrance, to a club that doesn’t open until late afternoon. The club is that strip club eight blocks over. The _gay_ strip club.”

This has the three lads struck mute. Dumbfounded. 

*** 

Several days later, it is still all that they can talk about.

“It doesn’t make sense though. He looked our age. At most.”

“You say it’s doesn’t, but it does. He only comes around in the mornings. He comes when that club is closed. Like that’s home base or something.”

“Do you think Shawn will do it? Go to the club to see if he can learn anything?”

“I don’t know. He is right, it is a gay strip club and he’s going to risk his job if anyone here at the Academy learns he’s stepped one foot into a place like that. Besides, he probably should be even more cautious than most, given that he is gay himself. He doesn’t want to broadcast an idea that he’s, you know, into the kinky stuff.”

“Yeah. He _shouldn’t go_. Too risky.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“He did take that picture I drew of The Stray.” Zayn says of a drawing he did of their stray much like that of a police sketch artist.

***

Zayn walks into the academy. He was up most of the night on the phone with his mates Liam and Niall. Seeing them, Zayn wonders if they, as well as him, had wet dreams… about the pixie-like Stray. 

All Zayn can think about is the question of whether their coach was brave enough to going to a gay strip club, using the picture Zayn drew to learn if anyone at that club has any information about their Stray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Zayn, Liam, Niall, Shawn
> 
> (c14)


	11. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn, Liam and Niall decide to bait their shy, raga-bon Stray by leaving him a gift. It’s effective. They learn the lad who lingers around their prestigious Academy’s edge with such a deeply palpable loneliness is “Louis”. (This is a continuation of events that happened years before Harry comes into owning the club.)
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

Continued transcription of Zayn’s story: 

Zayn, Liam and Niall are eager to see The Stray, the Team Mascot, showing up again. They have taken to leaving a bundle for him at the property boundary of the Academy and hoping that maybe he will cease to run off when approached. The bundle is things they have accumulated for him, including some athletic clothing, shoes and on top of these items, wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a simple string of twine, is a football. Each of them have signed their names on the ball. Each has also left some kind of outreach message.

Niall wrote_ “Nice to me ya!”_

Liam wrote_ “You are?”_

_ _Zayn did a simplified drawing of their Mascot’s face. A drawling with far less detailed than the one he gave to Shawn for researching the strip club-Stray-connection._ _

_ __ _

Finally, one morning, The Stray shows up again. He goes to the bundle immediately. He picks up the ball. He takes time to inspect every signature, every note the drawling. The second the boys move in his direction, he grabs the bundle that was with the ball and runs away. 

_ __ _

The way he ran off makes the lack of his return appearance for another two weeks absolutely insufferable.

_ __ _

Eventually The Stray returns. Oddly he isn’t wearing their gifts of clothing. It is also notable how with them baitng him with a sent off Academy property The Stray doesn’t leap to send it back as he has done int the past.

_ __ _

Another change? The Stray doesn’t run when Shawn approaches. With the fence between Shawn and The Stray the other three can only watch. 

Zayn doesn’t know about his two mates, but he can hardly breathe. It’s Saturday and at this time it is only the team and Shawn are on the Academy grounds. The second Zayn sees The Stray come out slightly from behind a large pole, to make his way to the open gate, Zayn gets butterfly-nervous with anticipation. Has Shawn convinced him to come closer? Shawn walks parallel to the Stray’s path inside the fence. When The Stray comes through the open gate Shawn puts a hand on the The Stray’s shoulder. Stray stops. It looks like Shawn is trying to reinforce an invitation onto Academy grounds. When The Stray does advance closer, it is notable how Shawn keeps that hand of his on the lad’s shoulder. Shawn walks him up to the three best mates. The other teammates watch while kind of kicking a ball around aimlessly to remain unobtrusive.

_ __ _

“Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, this is Louis. Louis, no last name, just Louis. He’d like to say thank you.”

_ __ _

Looking at this phantom up close, it’s hard not to have a gaping astonished with delicate and pretty he is. Sure, the three of them are very attractive. One could argue they are each gorgeous in their own way. But this one… well he simply looks like a caricature of a pixie. His eyes seem larger than real like he is a living anime. His eyebrows very expressive, his features exceedingly balanced and to the cute-side for a lad. He’s got to be their age, give or take a year. It his voice that comes as a surprise because it’s very distinctive.

_ __ _

“Um, yes, hi. I’m just Louis. Wanted to say thank you, um... for the stuff. I really like it. A lot.”

_ __ _

The other teammates begin to drift over. For a split second, Zayn fears Louis will run. He doesn’t. Once he has met all of them, Shawn tells the team “good work”. They can call it a day. Zayn knows this is to dilute the nervousness they guess Louis feels is in a crowd of so many new faces where everyone is scrutinizing him. Particularly given that Louis isn’t wearing the clothes they gave him. He is in his typical mix of stuff, a haphazard collection of clothing that doesn’t fit very well. Once again he looks to have been bin-diving.

_ __ _

With Zayn, Liam and Niall sensing they should be leaving, Shawn asks Louis if he would like to see the inside of the Academy.

_ __ _

Louis looks uncertainly to Shawn but he decides to take the invitation.

_ __ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Zayn, Liam, Niall, Shawn
> 
> ....cut adrift without an anchor, no sign of shore. 
> 
> ***  
(c15)


	12. Risky Decision, Dire Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuation of a Zayn-forward telling. Zayn and Shawn both pursue learning how it is that Louis takes refuge in a gay strip club. Shawn pays a huge price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Continuation of events several years before Harry assumes his father’s club ownership role.)
> 
> ***
> 
> Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

Continued transcription of Zayn’s story 

Zayn looks at the computer. The research project each student is to conduct requires a presentation about sociological challenges to some section of the population. It can be based on the economic standing, race, religion or any factor that causes a specific group to have difficulties. Each student is to outline a process to mitigate those challenges. Zayn decides to select researching the culture surrounding strippers and exotic dancers. 

The professor walks around checking with students who look to have questions. They have to submit their topic for approval by class end. After Zayn submits his topic to the teacher as he leaves class hoping to meet sith Niall and Liam, when the leave maths. Together the three leave the academy. Their conversation? Persuading their young coach to investigate Louis’ connection to a gay strip club. 

It is later that day when Zayn gets a text reply message from the coach about their shared concern. 

“Zayn, sorry it's terribly late.” 

Zayn doesn't care that it is late. He has onequestion, “No problem. Did you go to the club?” 

“No. Really Zayn, tried to. Worried how that could look for me...a supportive administration and coworkers at the academy only goes so far. Still I took the picture you drew, sorry to the police instead. I know what you are thinking but it went well. Simply stated my position as an Academy coach, how we had this young person that came to our attention, not one of our students but that this young person hanging aorund the fringe of our grounds might be someone at risk.” 

“And?” Zayn asks. 

“And, well they were quite responsive. One officer made a copy of your drawing. He even sent me to a senior level inspector in investigations.” 

Zayn is confused about Shawn’s meaning. “So what does that mean? I thought you were going to go to the strip club, see if they recognize him and know anything. What happens if the police think you mean that Louis is selling drugs on the street or something and they pick him up?” 

“Yes, Zayn, it is not that easy. You’re asking me to put myself at risk, put my career on the line. I’m incredibly lucky to have this job, especially as a gay man in a boys academy. I think the inspector, some fellow named Winston, was very keen to look into things while not taking the matter as if Louis is some kind of criminal. I don’t know how to explain it but I had a feeling. Maybe the way he looked at the drawing of yours. I could see it was… _impactful_. Whatever Louis’ story is I think he has a friend in the inspector, it will be fine.” 

*** 

Two days later Zayn impulsively decides to go to the strip club by himself. The long line of patrons at the entrance moves remarkably fast which is encouraging for Zayn. The security century sitting on a tall bar stool chair, takes each person's’ ID as they approach. He checks the face of the guest to the picture. Another large very unfriendly looking security guard stands off to the side arms crossed, scowling at all who come forth. His job seems to be to add intimidation. Massive in stature, exposed arm muscles suggest he is unfriendly. 

Upon reaching the doormen, Zayn hands them his ID. He answers their questions correctly, about his age but the club security sat on the stool doesn’t believe Zayn is actually eighteen. He asks Zayn to step aside inviting other patrons to step forward. Desperate, Zayn pulls out his drawing of Louis shoving it to the more intimidating security hoping to have a second of consideration. 

“Excuse me, look at this, this drawing. This is the reason I’m here. This lad, do you know him? Does he come here?” 

The seated security appears to be ready to push Zayn aside when the security who was seated on a stool, taking IDs, stands. He appears to be moving to push Zayn aside. This is when the other, more massive, muscular security kindly says to Zayn, “Yes, we know him. His father owns this club. Now, leave it at that lad. This is no place for you.” 

Zayn leaves the strip club elated by the littlest tidbit of information. Why he feels good knowing something so insignificant he can’t say. Maybe because he has conformation that this Louis is truly no longer a phantom that shows up at random and has no point of anchor. Sure, Louis’ father owns a gay strip club. Not as good as say if his father were doctor, or a barrister or whatever. At least there is something he and Louis share. They each like boys. 

*** 

Armed with information Zayn goes to Shawn. 

Shawn agrees with Zayn that this makes sense of why Louis’ was running to the club. Using the Academy’s staff computer, Shawn looks up some public records on local businesses with Zayn watching over his shoulder. Frequently, when the Academy is considering new students, the Academy verifies information on the families of prospective students, particularly when scholarships are requested on financial needs. 

What information Shawn finds in his search, Zayn later shares with Liam and Niall after school, when the three are changing from their uniforms into their kits for an afternoon practice. 

“Robert Twist is the owner of the strip club. He has a wife and two children. One of them, his son, is our age. Two addresses are listed for Twist. One is not far from here and the other is a large estate outside of town in some prestigious neighborhood. And the other thing is that Robert Twist doesn't share the same last name as his two children. His wife is Anne, Anne Twist, but his children are Gemma and Harry. Last name is Styles. So the question is why Louis said his name is Louis, not Harry. Shaun thinks he’s probably embarrassed to have anyone find out what his father’s business is. Maybe Twist is his stepfather.” 

“If you ask me, that makes a lot of sense, based on the way the doorman at the club didn’t hesitate to confirm Louis is the owner’s son. Louis must be his middle name. Harry Louis Styles. Or is it Harrison Louis? Harold Louis? No, I think it’s Harrison Louis Styles, better sound to it. Kinda seemed that he really didn’t want to tell us his name.” 

The lads go on bantering about the mysteries surrounding Louis. Zayn gets a fair amount of well-intended teasing for doing his research project that is a way to legitimize daydreaming about Louis while working on a class project. All three of them are equally obsessed in knowing more about the odd Louis. 

*** 

It is a rainy Saturday morning when Zayn gets a call entirely too early. There’s a game later, the first of a preliminary phase of a tournament. Shawn calling, ungodly early hour or not, has Zayn answering. 

“Coach?” 

“Zayn, hey, it’s really early I know, but I have to tell you something. The rain we had last night had me going to check our field with us hosting the first match this weekend. Our little stray was lurking around. It’s funny when you think of it, because of all the places he could be, when I saw him, it kinda broke my heart, you know. In the rain, outside the fence, looking like a half-drown kitten. I went to open the gate and asked him what he was doing. You know what he said? He said, his voice shaking because he was so wet and chilled, he wanted to pretend like he was a student here at the Academy. Pretend that he has mates like you and Liam and Niall… god, it just killed me.” 

Zayn simply listens. 

“Seeing how I’d need to keep monitoring field conditions to see if the rain stopping was going to allow it to firm up before play, I asked him to come into the school with me, wait out the rain. He was shivering so badly, so I took him to the locker room, found some extra team clothing, told him to get out of his wet clothes. Meanwhile I kept talking with him.” 

“Since the name Louis doesn’t line up with Twist’s male child, the first subject I brought up was his family. You know, given what he said when I asked what his father does. He said he doesn’t have a father really. Not a father who is a relative. The question made him visibly nervous but I wasn’t entirely sure if the nervousness was that he was naked and I was, um staring at him, or the question.” 

Shawn goes quiet, like he’s afraid to say more. Zayn thinks he can guess why. 

“Was he different than you expected? I mean, naked… did he look um,” 

With a sigh proceeding a predicament Shawn elaborates. 

“He’s gorgeous. I mean truly gorgeous. He’s so delicate, and so… um, and, well he grooms, so there is that. And his skin looks like golden silk, I mean, like he sunbathes nude or something. And he’s got to have the most positively unique shape of any lad on the planet. I may have stared at him too long.” 

“So what happened next? Did he put on the dry clothes and run away?” 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“No.” 

Zayn has to pry as Shawn has gone quiet. “No, what then, if he didn’t run away?” 

“Zayn, I’m in big trouble. Really big trouble. Louis didn’t rush to dress. He also didn’t run away. In fact, he’s still here. In my office. Fell asleep in my chair....” 

“Okay... so what’s the trouble?” 

“Um, well… he ah, Louis um… he didn’t flinch, like um… and he looked at my crotch. My dick was already so hard, my thoughts were obvious to him. He didn’t bat an eye; he just asked if I wanted him to help me with ‘that’. Then he came to me, kissed me, the kiss making my dick throb even more. I felt his hand slip in and caress me making me moan. Next thing I knew he dropped to his knees, pulled out my erection, began sucking me off. I may have said ‘stop’, or that ‘this is wrong’... but Louis wasn’t letting go until he sucked me off, swallowed every last drop.” 

There is silence between Shawn and Zayn for a solid minute or plus. 

Zayn speaks first, unsure of what to say as the image of Louis and Shawn makes his dick hard. A shaven Louis, silky skin, so delicate, and yet so bold. Those thin, pink lips of his…Zayn would have done the same thing. Of course he is not a coach. 

“You’ve never had that problem with lads before; I mean the urge, have you?” 

“No, would never consider it. Louis just kind of took over. Took me in his hands, I swear I wasn’t doing anything, to encourage him, I mean. It’s just naked Louis, he’s a lot more… um like meant for um… he’s gorgeous. I don’t know what I’m going to do when he wakes. I mean, part of me wants to pretend like nothing happened and the other part of me...” 

Zayn gets it. 

“I’ll be right there. Whatever you do if he wakes up you do, do not touch him. Tell him you’re not gay.” 

*** 

By the time Zayn arrives to the Academy he finds Shawn is alone. 

“Where is Louis?” 

“He woke up, as soon as I told him we needed to talk about what happened he ran.” 

Shawn sits, hands covering his faceless confesses. “I’m so confused, really confused… I’ve messed up. Honestly, I had no intention to do that. Am I gay, sure. Proudly. Do I express my sexuality, want it exposed publicly? No. It’s not anyone else’s business what I do in private. But Louis… he’s… I don’t know what he is. Or how I made such a mess by letting that happen.” 

As Shawn starts to weep, Zayn is distracted by hearing a couple of grounds workers have entered the academy. The weather has been so bad throughout the night that the pitch needs to be taken care of before the game. 

Zayn does his best to help his young coach gather his composure as to not be discovered like this. 

Day’s end, their team has won. It was a tough match. Zayn waits until they are off the Academy grounds to share what happened between Louis and Shawn. 

*** 

It’s three days after their match when surprisingly a new coach, athletic instructor, arrives to the Academy to replace Shawn. 

No explanation. Simply, Coach Brennen is in place. Mendez is out. 

*** 

Zayn doesn’t give any details to the administration when they call him in before a panel of administration and teaching staff or “a simple chat” about the dismissed coach. Neither does Liam or Niall have answers to cryptic questions they are asked. Not a single other student at the academy makes any disparaging comments about their popular, former mentor. 

Zayn repeatedly tries calling Shawn. Shawn never returns the messages Zayn leaves. 

As days go on, Zayn’s attempts to call the former coach become increasingly infrequent. 

As for Louis, it was a few days following the incident before Louis showed up again. Once Louis saw there was a new coach, Louis never came back. That was the end of the stray, the phantom, the enigmatic little kitten. 

At the end of the school year, as students are making their plans to attend University the following year, shocking news spreads like wildfire throughout the small prestigious preparatory academy. 

Shawn Mendez, their former coach, mentor and a friend to most Academy students, was found dead at age twenty-three. Suspicious circumstances surrounding the death are under investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The one where Shawn gets a blow job from Louis leading down a rabbit hole. Zayn, Liam and Niall learn about Shawn’s tragic death over a year after Shawn‘s fateful locker room encounter with Louis.


	13. The Owner’s Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shawn forward. How the Academy administrators learn about Shawn that cost Shawn his proper career. After his dismissal Shawn eventually goes to the strip club looking for a better paying work. A very Shouis-forward bit.
> 
> ***  
Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!

Events taken from the diary of Shawn Mendez as transcribed by barristers Huge and Kira.

Shawn gets a call to speak with the Headmaster Monday morning, just two days after his fatefully poor decision to bring a drenched Louis into the locker room where he experienced the best blowjob of his young adult life. Shawn expected the invitation is to discuss the success of the games over the weekend, with the Academy having hosted the first round of meets for the tournament.

In his gut, Shawn fears this impromptu meeting is about something else. He runs through every detail from two days before with Louis. It was Zayn who arrived at the Academy first, then the grounds crew. Louis had left well before even Zayn came in and there are no cameras in the school locker room.

Quickly the conversation with the Headmaster turns to Zayn Malik. It would be surprising that Zayn expose him but the mention of Zayn has Shawn’s heart racing with fear. Shawn panics.

He interrupts Headmaster. Even if Zayn betrayed him, the fact is that Shawn is already self-loathing over what he allowed to happen with Louis. Did he want it? Yes. Did Louis do that unsolicited? Yes.

Wrong is still wrong.

In his panic, Shawn blurts out a confession before the Headmaster clarifies the discussion pertaining to Zayn.

“Excuse me Headmaster; I want to make it clear that Zayn had nothing to do with the incident.”

The Headmaster gives Shawn a blank look and allows him to continue. Present in the room is the Assistant Headmaster and two other people Shawn doesn’t know. He suspects they are barristers for the Academy. The headmaster only says, “Okay. Mr. Mendez, explain.”

Shawn doesn’t look at the faces of the four opposing him. He looks down as he begins.

“I made a mistake allowing the lad to come on to the grounds. Even though Zayn and the others welcomed him over the proceeding weeks, took pity kindly as he seemed so wayward, lost, keenly interested in our practices for some companionship. I was aware, far more than the students that he displayed all the hallmarks of some troubling home life. I was trying to… well, um so he was drenched and so very cold Saturday morning. I was here very early, wanting to check the pitch conditions ahead of the grounds crew... why he’d be here, I don’t know. So I offered him to come in, said he could change into some of the clothing we have on hand for our white shirt days. He accepted. And um, um… I swear I had no leverage in making him do that. None. He simply… um, again I swear I had no intentions… can’t explain, justify, but I swear he initiated it.”

All the Headmaster says is “_It._. Shawn doesn’t detect the way “it” is said as question; an indication that they don’t know what he is talking about.

“Blowjob.”

By the way, facial expressions change Shawn is suddenly aware he has confessed to something they had not brought him in to address.

He has no chance to roll back his words. A confession is out.

“Mr. Mendez, you are telling us that you used the locker room Saturday morning, where you engaged in some form of sexual contact?”

“Yes. I thought that was what this is about.” Shawn gets that feeling like the blood is draining from his body.

“No. _Well, now it is!_ What we asked you here for was some accessing of information that was flagged because of the nature. You pulled records on a Robert Twist family through our academy authority. It was correlated with a project students are doing in Mr. Saunders’ sociology unit. Mr. Saunders had some concerns about his student Zayn Malik selecting a topic for his research project focusing on strip club culture. Then we have you pulling records on a man who owns a local strip club. 

“If you were doing this as part of assisting Mr. Malik in his research, keeping his project in the appropriate context, the assessment would be a legitimately stellar example of the excellence we expect of our teachers. We would commend your oversight, particularly because Mr. Malik, a student who is gay, interested in incorporating the topic of strippers, and seeking information of a club that is gay focused could be signs of something we want to address with the parents of Mr. Malik. For Zayn’s protection. This other issue, well... 

”Mr. Mendez, this is shocking. Utterly shocking. I have no recourse other than to terminate your contract this minute and ask you to leave campus immediately. You have ten minutes to gather any personal property you wish to take.”

With that, the Headmaster asks the Assistant Headmaster to escort Shawn to make sure Shawn takes only his personal property.

***

Two weeks after his dismissal Shawn wakes up late in the morning hungry and smelling like the bender he has been on oozes from his pores. For the first time believes he can willingly eat. It’s also the first time he’s taken a shower or put on actual clothing that wasn’t sweat pants and a filthy tee shirt.

In the two weeks since he was sacked, his professional reputation destroyed by one mistake, all Shawn can think about is the mistake.

A mistake that Shawn relives in his dreams.

Every dream becoming a wet one.

In contrast to his dreams about Louis, waking is a nightmare reality for Shawn. He no longer has a job. Or a career. Or that he can justify why he did that with Louis. Or worse… Shawn wants to be touched by Louis again.

Refreshed by bathing and eating a hearty meal, Shawn goes to his computer to start a search for a new job.

Looking through online listing, he avoids the education field because that’s not going to happen. His career is ruined. He tries looking for positions that don’t require much in the way of discriminating background checks.

Most the jobs are laborers, restaurant help, cleaning services. He decides to apply to a delivery company as a driver. Completing the application, he sends it off and hopes the poorly paying position will be his so he can get by a few months on that meager pay and his savings.

A few days later, Shawn is on the job. It’s mundane. Pick up heavy boxes at a distributor. Drive through the maddening city traffic to all the pubs and clubs that the distributor supplies.

Ironically this includes Robert Twist’s strip club.

Pulling into the alley beside the club, Shawn is met by an employee. The employee helps him bring crates of alcohol in. They go over the invoice to verify all is in order. It’s not public hours at the club but there is activity. Shawn is curious enough to ask the employee what the gathering of people over near the stage is about.

“Oh, that? Well, we have a few spots to fill. Today is the first day on interviews for new performers.”

“Performers?”

“You know, exotic dancers, strippers.”

“Strippers? How does it pay?”

The employee, a bartender apparently, laughs. Laughs then takes his first solid look at Shawn.

“They make a shit-ton of money. Work twenty minutes on stage and leave here with more money on one night than I make over the course of a week. I work on tips too but what the clientele tips for an overpriced drink is nothing compared to what they pay for a peak at some flesh. You want an application?”

Standing inside the building that is Louis’ refuge, the idea of making good money, the state of confusion Shawn has been living with takes over. “Yes, yes. I’d like that.”

***

The next day, Shawn is back at the club. He called in sick to get a day off from his delivery driver job. He must know this is a very bad idea in the first week of a new job. Yet all Shawn can do is think of Louis. Would he see Louis?

Arriving early, Shawn catches the last of some other bloke performing. It looks like five people are watching. It’s fairly obvious two of them are strippers. Not that they are dressed per see like a stripper, but they have that vibe about them. Shawn waits near the bar. The same employee that Shawn spoke with yesterday is working the bar. He extends Shawn a nice welcome, introduces himself as Charlie, offers Shawn a drink.

It’s morning.

A drink?

“Sure”, Shawn says, “That’s be great. Thanks, I think I really need one, maybe a double”

Charlie is gracious. “You will do fine. You’ve got a look they are wanting to include. Very youthful, innocent and a fit body, perfect for the lineup.”

***

At the start of the interview-audition, Shawn meets two strippers, Tinzy and Ryce. He meets a DJ who apparently expected him to have music for him to play during the audition phase of the interview. Shawn is unprepared for this but DJ Steve makes Shawn feel okay by asking him what gets his groove on. Steve will cover it, he tells Shawn. In addition to the strippers and the DJ there is Rico, the club’s manager, and Robert Twist, owner.

During the conversational interview, Shawn feels good about his answers. He addresses his last job with as much honesty as he can.

“...I was at the Academy for almost a full year after coming straight out of Uni. Loved the work, coaching, the chance to do something physical during my day and not just a desk job.”

Still feeling the sting of the dismissal, Shawn wraps some truth with a big leap to make him sound right for the counterculture of the strip club. “It’s just that I realized, being a gay man, I should find something where that is an asset, and where I can still do physically active work.”

Perfect ruse, Shawn knows. The conversation part of the interview is complete.

Rico asks him to stand and take off his shirt. Shawn stands there as five people each make written notes about his body. He’s glad his body is what it is. At least he’s right fit.

The nerves hit when he is directed to take the stage. Steve puts music on. 

Everyone watching, even Charlie, Shawn tries to move. Never in his life has he ever felt so stiff. He stops. Asks Steve to start the music over. It’s worse when Shawn begins again. He’s breaks into sweat but it’s not because he’s working hard, it’s because he is slowly getting more awkward. The two strippers look at each other and that is a clue that they are conveying shared thoughts of pity for how bad Shawn is.

Rico stops Shawn. Robert whispers in Rico’s ear. Next they converse in whispers with Steve.

Robert asks. “Shawn. Sorry, but do you really want to do this?”

Shawn feels beads of sweat roll down his back. “Yes, yes sir. I do. I really need this job.”

“Well, it’s clear you have physical assets, but in your training, did you ever study dance or anything like that? I don’t see reference to that on your application.”

“No.”

“Tell me this. Have you ever gone to a strip club before, gay or straight?”

“No.”

“Watched porn, gay, straight....”

“No.”

Rico blurts out with shocked disbelief, “Watched a movie with strippers in the background?”

“No.” Suddenly Shawn feels cold. Surely, he is going to be told thanks, but no thanks.

Robert and Rico whisper some more until Rico stands and goes over to the bar. He says something to Charlie. Charlie leaves the bar going through the doors with a sign over them saying, “employees only beyond this point”.

Rico returns and explains. “Relax Shawn. We can see you’re nervous. We really like the looks of you. We need a young performer, someone who looks barely legal. We’re going to give you a partner, so to speak, to help you get the nerves under control, consider him a dance instructor. He’ll show you some moves. Loosen you up. When you feel ready, you try to imitate his moves, incorporate your own. Okay.”

Charlie comes back. Behind him, not immediately in view… is Louis.

Louis following behind Charlie stops when he sees Shawn. He looks behind himself for what it is hard to know. He then looks questioningly at the interviewing committee.

That he doesn’t move conveys his surprise at seeing Shawn.

“Louis, don’t look so frightened. This is an applicant for the lineup, Shawn. We’re considering him for the lineup but he’s so nervous, can’t seem to move. How about you warm him up for us?” Robert directs.

Louis climbs the stairs to the stage and on his face, Shawn can see the trepedation. He extends one of those fine, delicate hands he’d used so effectively on Shawn’s cock and shakes Shawn’s hand, acting like they’ve never met.

“Hi. I’m Louis.” He says softly.

“Shawn.”

Shawn notes how Louis is looking at his lips. The small, pretty thing has a vulnerability about him that permeates Shawn’s heart with want to kiss Louis safe.

So, it’s true. Louis is here in this strip club seemingly like it is his permanent residence. He is brought out by Robert Twist to “loosen” Shawn up.

Music starts. Shawn doesn’t.

But Louis does.

Shawn’s senses comes alive as Louis presses to him, moving subtly, fingers running over his body with a confidence and an artistry.

The touches make Shawn feel strong, his skin tingles more and more. Soon Louis’ legs brush against Shawn’s, ever so slight he presses his body into Shawn’s.

Is Shawn dancing? He feels movement. Is the room spinning or is this...

A whisper comes to his ears as Steve elects alter the music with Shawn having lost some of the awkward rigidity. “Why are you here?”

The whisper creates a ghost breath on Shawn’s neck. Shivers race up his spine. He catches a pleasing scent of Louis; Louis and something like baby powder. 

Shawn almost stops dancing. He almost loses himself completely in the sight and feel of Louis’ touch, scent of Louis. He keeps it together enough to say, “I… I… I don’t know.”

Louis moves him, literally and figuratively. The hiring committee are suddenly animatedly conversing about him. So it is that Shawn stops trying to organize his jumbled thoughts. Thoughts that would confess his attraction to Louos, maybe his love, as he allows himself to flow in movement with Louis.

Perhaps, his failure to answer Louis’ question properly is why Louis becomes more deliberate. He engages Shawn in some increasingly erotic dance. He works his body against Shawn’s. Shawn reacts, compelled by how Louis threads a leg between his legs or ruts his bum or his pelvis against Shawn’s body.

A little lost in the world Louis creates Shawn tries to bend down, wanting to place his mouth on Louis’ neck to nuzzle there. Taste his skin. Louis does a twisting move to turn himself away, denying Shawn’s lips the touch but, as he loops around Shawn, the nuzzle averted, the action between them seems like a fluid dance. 

It’s not lost on Shawn that this was deliberate to prevent Shawn from looking too friendly. Nevertheless this is bizarre, given Louis was called before the hiring committee to spur Shawn on. So noteworthy was the behavior on Louis’ account that Shawn later writes of it in his diary.

The music stops and Louis steps away with an aloof detachment like he is nothing but a prop, a marionette. 

”Is that all?” Louis asks of Robert.

“Yes, son. That’s all.” Robert says with a dismissive wave.

Yes son, that’s all? Really? To Shawn’s amazement, the others take nothing of this as odd or wrong. Dismissed, Louis leaves without even a glance, as if Shawn really is some stranger he doesn’t care for. Shawn is invited to sit with the committee. Following a very brief chat, Robert offers Shawn a position on the line-up on one condition, “...as you will need to spend some time learning to move more naturally. My son can teach you. He’s a natural. You will have to allow Louis to choreograph for you too, teach you a few tricks.”

***

It’s Louis who gives Shawn his first tour of the strip club’s general layout and facilities. With the exception of Robert’s office, Shawn is shown every part of the club. Through this process, Shawn learns some very interesting things. It’s not the utilitarian things like how the strippers each have their own sectional of a massive dressing room for their personal attire and costuming that he finds interesting. Nor is it how they schedule strippers. No.

What is interesting are the answers to questions going back to when Louis showed up at the Academy and was dubbed The Stray. Questions like why was he dressed like he had been dumpster diving for clothing yet was always so clean, smelled fresh, and, as Shawn learned, was immaculately shaved? Shawn learns the answers as Louis shows him a large shower with twin shower heads that is in the back of the dressing room he where tells Shawn, “There are frequently times when strippers might do something like body paint or something, so there is the bath for use as needed.”

Another unexpected inclusion in the tour answers the question is Louis living at a strip club? Yes, he is. 

In the very far recess of the dressing room is a walled off section that appears to be a very large homemade wardrobe or walk-in closet. Louis grins, does a cute little thing with his shoulders and addresses this feature behind the strippers’ space. “Oh and this,” he opens the flimsy door revealing an enclosed room roomy enough for a hobbit at best, “is me personal room.”

There is a little bed. A small desk. A chair. Some clothes hang on hooks on the walls. Shoes look to be filling the space under the bed. Louis goes to try to retrieve something tucked far under the bed. His search gives Shawn the chance to look at what else is in Louis’ tiny room. There are pictures. Pictures from magazines of football players Louis clearly is a fan of. A few pictures of people that Shawn guesses might be people who work at this club. What Louis pulls out from under the bed surprises Shawn. 

Louis retrieved from apparent hiding the gift bundle from the lads at the academy. It’s unwrapped, but everything is neatly still on the paper that once wrapped it. The shoes are there too. Everything looks untouched. Unwrapped, but untouched, even the tags are still on them. The only thing missing from the collection of items is the ball. 

“Look Shawn. I keep these hidden here.” Louis says with pride of having these things, thrilled to have them but hasn’t used them.

“Louis, you’ve never worn them? They were given to you for you to enjoy and wear?”

Louis looks at the shoes and clothing. He face shows his delight. “I know they were. But I don’t need shoes like these. When I play it’s on the roof. It’s a hard surface up there. I wear whatever. Besides, he’d want to know where these came from. He would realize I sometimes sneak out when he isn’t here. I’m not supposed to go out without one of his employees with me.”

Shawn watches as Louis takes each piece of clothing, one at a time, and holds them up to look at them. After admiring each item that he has never worn, he folds them back, stacks them neatly on the paper they were originally wrapped in. He puts the open bundle back on the floor, slides it way under his little bed, moves other things in front of them. His secret treasure hidden from Robert.

Next, they head to the roof. Shawn gets another glimpse into Louis’ life. On the roof are two nets spaced on each end and some footballs in a bin. There is also a pop up tent and a couple of foldable chairs. Louis explains. “I come up here a lot if it’s sunny. Kick around. I also like to watch the city from up here. Especially at night.”

It’s on this roof where no one will see that Shawn no longer can resist. He takes Louis in his arms. Kissing Louis, Louis wrapped in his arms responds to the kiss by melting into Shawn. A hand palms over Shawn’s crotch. Shawn would gladly oblige Louis with whatever Louis was leading into doing, but a voice from the bottom of the stairs calls out, breaking the moment. 

“Louis, your father wants to have Shawn come to his office now to sign paperwork. Tour is over.”

***

Shawn’s first night performing is the scariest thing he’s ever done. He’s got all the other strippers giving him all sorts of advice and encouragement. He’s also got Louis secretly flirting with him. Secretly, though he knows the chemistry between he and Louis is not lost on the strippers. These odd characters, each different and unique from each other, are very much like a family to Louis. The bartenders, wait staff, bouncers too. Everyone dotes on Louis. 

The odd one out is Louis’ father. Robert Twist looks nothing like Louis’ father. He also acts nothing like a proper father, even though he calls Louis “son”. Furthermore, in the days leading up to the debut of stripper Shawn, there have been a couple of strange exchanges between father and son that Shawn is aware of.

Always happens in the office. Out of view. Shawn can’t help but suspect father is a massive twat in the eyes of his son.

But on premier night for Shawn, isn’t thinking of anything other than the attention Louis is giving him. Louis has helped him select his look. 

Louis hands things to Shawn despite Shawn’s ability to dress himself. It’s not lost on Shawn that Louis sweetly assists because he wants an excuse to be with Shawn. Each thing Louis hands to Shawn he holds on to a second too long, such that it forces Shawn’s fingers to find contact with Louis’. Louis smiles with a little blush when their fingers touch, as if he hopes to hold Shawn’s attention forever.

One of the bouncers working as doorman security comes into the dressing room to talk with Shawn. He interrupts Shawn and Louis to hand an identification card to Shawn that he has a question about. At the top of the ID is the recognizable label “Brighton Academy”. The ID is that of student Zayn Malik.

“Shawn, know it’s a big night but I’ve gotten tired of this same lad showing up at the door from time to time. This time he came around a new line of shit, he’s says he’s a friend of yours. Wanted to wish you luck, he said. Claims you were a teacher at Brighton. But in the past he would come around asking about Louis,” the bouncer glances at Louis.

Louis looks alarmed. Shawn is surprised to learn of this habit of Zayn’s. Since Shawn outed himself at the Academy, caused his own dismissal, he has taken the smart approach of not having any contact with any of his former students to avoid possible legal action. Further problems would certainly result from entangling himself with Zayn, as the Headmaster knows now that there was something deeper to the search of a family named Twist, this strip club, and Zayn.

“I do know the lad but I would not want him to get in trouble, so please can someone speak with him? Gently discourage him coming around.”

Louis, who has never had any official role at the club, as far as Shawn knows, gets up from where he was sitting beside Shawn. “Toby,” he says to the doorman, “please don’t put this in the wrong hands. If you’re going to tell anyone about Zayn, make sure to be careful who you choose to inform.”

Toby is a massive man in his thirties. His imposing form suggests the idea that he is very a tough kind of man. Surprisingly, this manly of man sort of metaphorically melts, caving to the whims of small, delicate Louis.

“Okay, Louis. I’ll put the word out to the other door crew, but this Zayn lad needs to stop coming around before he gets into trouble. This is the first time he’s made a point of a connection to one of the performers. In my memory, he came around before Shawn was hired, but I can’t remember exactly, you know. It’s only become a regular thing to my memory since Shawn was hired.”

***

Shawn comes off the stage to a host of the seasoned strippers giving him congrats on his first striptease. To be honest, Shawn shares with them he felt like he was ill the entire time and he doesn't even remember what he did. They assure him that stripping gets easier. He looks around at those who are welcoming him.

“Where’s Louis?” Shawn asks. There is one face who matters. “Watching at the screen in the dressing room?” Shawn adds hopefully.

With the club having cameras everywhere, it’s a secure way for everyone to keep pace with activities. Strippers getting ready can see the performances ahead of theirs, the crowd floor, all can alteration schedules as needed.

“He’s in his cubby.” Tinzy says. “Cubby” being Louis’ room, as small as a glorified clothing wardrobe.

Another stripper adds, “He’s probably waiting for you.”

Something about the cluster of strippers, the way they wink and snort, says this is a private joke. Shawn goes to the section of dressing room that is his. He plops down some of his stripped attire he collected as he left stage. A stage manager will collect the rest in the music interlude that happens between performers.

Going back to Louis’ cubby, he stops. He’s nervous. Why? Was Louis disappointed in him? Embarrassed for him, of him? Louis had helped him so much. A virtual performance director, a costume designer… but did he do that badly?

Softly knocking, hoping Louis will answer before most of the strippers who are on later return to the dressing room, he waits.

“Come in.” Shawn hears.

He opens the door.

Louis is reclined, laying on a couple pillows. His legs bent slightly are spread slightly too. He’s nude. His playing with his cock with one hand, running the other hand over himself.

His pretty cock is rigid.

Louis has such an ideal twink-type build that it makes his cock look bigger than it is. His dick being a bit over average is respectable but it is his how body is so delicate, smooth that makes him a paradox. Mind blowingly unique. A prize. And Louis is here in his private little cubby waiting for...

“Shawn, I need you. You were so hot. You need to fuck me right now.”

Shawn comes over to Louis. Louis moves to standing on his knees on his little bed so he can kiss Shawn. They must do this because there is so little space in this cubby. Shawn paid a huge price in losing his job because of his locker room mistake, yet with Louis kissing him, asking for a dicking; suddenly no penalty can make this not worth any price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note: previous, establishes that Shawn will not survive long after making this decision.)
> 
> The one where Shawn thinks he is going to be sacked for someone (maybe Zayn) telling the Headmaster that he invited a non-student into the Academy locker room and had sexual contact. Somehow Shawn ends up getting a job stripping. Louis’ affinity for wanting him is a bonus.  
Characters: Shawn, Louis, Robert
> 
> Minor characters: Rico (club manager), Charlie (club bartender), Tinzy, Ryce (strippers), Steve (dj), Toby (door man), Mr Saunders (name mention only/Brighton Academy teacher)  
(c17)


	14. Persuasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story resumes Harry forward, opening with what Harry told Hugh next in sequence during his deposition. This is being told in form of Hugh and Keira’s transcription of Harry’s deposition.
> 
> It is the day after The Tease premiered his new act which went very dark and disturbing. Harry’s concerns compel him to close the club’s doors at least temporarily. Louis’ performance with a knife stokes Harry’s fears on multiple levels; concerns for Louis’ mental mental state, Louis’ rash behavior toward Harry, Louis’ potential role in Robert’s disappearance. Louis will try to persuade Harry to reopen.
> 
> ***  
Massive 💛 to the Lovely/Brave @babypinklouis for the work on this chapter!  
***

Transcription of events returns to Harry’s POV.  
***

Louis’ premiere had fallen on a Sunday. Monday Harry wakes well after noon with a throbbing head. Must be all the drinks he threw back entirely too fast to deal with his nerves after Louis did what he did, whatever that was.

It’s fortunate that Mondays are the one day of the week that the club is closed. Harry takes his time getting showered, and goes out to get a coffee. His mind is a whirl of conflict. Later that day, he decides to go by Liam’s flat. The club has serious issues. Or better said, Louis, their star, has massive issues. His behaviors profoundly affect the club. Something needs to be done.

Harry’s knock at Liam’s door isn’t immediately answered. He parked beside Liam’s car so he thinks Liam should be home. He knocks again. And again.

The way Liam looks when he finally answers the door suggest he was sleeping. Liam looks to have thrown on a pair of trackers. They hang low. This only adds to how sculpted and hard his muscular form is. Harry has to bite his lip to remind himself he’s not into bottoming, because if there ever were a body to make him want to try that again, it would be Liam’s. Not to mention Liam has a fabulous cock. Massive, to be precise.

“Harry?”

“Liam, um sorry for coming by unannounced. We have to talk about what happened last night.”

Liam scratches his chin. Just the act of bending his arm flexes his muscles such that Harry feels thirst at the sight of Liam’s body again. “Oh, okay. Come in. Want some coffee, or a beer or something?”

“Sure. No. Well, maybe some tea? Do you have tea?”

“Oh you bet. Yorkshire okay?”

“Great, thanks.”

Harry looks around as Liam goes to set a kettle on the stove. Liam’s flat looks nicely furnished. Not too overdone but with a hint of posh luxury. He keeps it neat. There are some magazines on a coffee table that reveal his interests. Apparently, men’s fitness and sailing are two favorite reads. He also has a copy of a book called the ‘Dinosaur Artist’. The cover of the book says “obsession, betrayal and the quest for the earth’s ultimate trophy”. 

If Harry were to freeform word association about Louis, he would use words like obsession and trophy. Betrayal? Somewhere in this mystery surrounding Robert’s disappearance and Louis must be a betrayal. At least Louis’ behaviors betray something. Imbedded in Louis’ performance is suggestion the linchpin for these behaviors have something to do with Harry.

Harry treads gently into what he is brought him to need to speak with Liam. The book seems heady-subject for a young strip club manager who most likely has never been to University. This is why Harry begins their conversation asking the kind of questions that allow him to better know who Liam is.

He discovers that Liam is indeed his age, never went to University. Liam hints at there is something that took him, and Niall, a mate from the academy they both attended for prep, a different direction than that. Liam doesn’t say what the something is. He does say that he and Niall both took jobs at the strip club straight out of prep school. He doesn’t offer why. Harry doesn’t pry.

By the time Harry has had two cups of tea, they have gotten to laughing over similar experiences over those boyhood years, when they were too young to know they can’t conquer the world when they grow up like many boys are sure that’s what they’d do.

A phone call distracts Liam. Harry mouths “Bathroom?” Liam points to take the hall. Second door?

Second door is a hall linen closet. Harry steps back, opens the first door only to see someone is just then getting out of the large bed to walk toward the windows on the far side of the bedroom. That is where a couple of chairs and some clothes are. The sight of Zayn butt-naked walking away is not what Harry is fixed on.

Still in the bed asleep situated in the middle of the bed is Louis.

Zayn picks up some clothing, slips on his boxer briefs, takes a pack of cigarettes that are laying there, turns, to finally see Harry gawking at the door.

“Looking for something are we?” Zayn snarls as he lights up.

“Toilet.” Harry can’t help but stare at Louis who is so peaceful, facing slightly toward the door where Harry stands. In sleep, he looks like the angel that his performance demanded he not be called.

Zayn just points a thumb out directing Harry. “Two doors down.”

Once Harry washes his hands and leaves the bathroom, he is met by Zayn wearing more clothing, having joined Liam in the main room of the flat.

Zayn doesn’t mince words. “What are you doing here Styles?” 

“Business. Club business.”

Liam gives Zayn a gentle push like some unspoken, expected circumstance is planned for. “Such as? Must be important if it can’t wait until tomorrow.” Liam says.

It’s obvious how Zayn is trying to make himself stay out of Liam’s authority. He looks at Liam as if he expects something more from him.

“Well, for starts, I’m curious about how Louis is doing. That thing he did, cutting himself like that. One second I thought he’d gone psycho and was going to stab me tout the next I know he was slicing his own skin. He is seriously messed up. Wanted to know if he got taken care of and then I worried if he cuts himself, you know… often.”

“Come on,” Liam says, which causes a disgruntled sound and look from Zayn who adds, “Don’t think that’s a good idea Li.”

“It’s okay. Louis is exhausted. He won’t know.”

‘Know what?’ Harry thinks as he’s led back to the bedroom. Liam takes to the bed where he pulls down the covers a bit. Harry is given a view of Louis, who is indeed soundly asleep.

On Louis’ chest, taped in place over his heart, is a large gauze patch. “There. See. It’s not that deep actually. More a scratch than a cut. Theater. What he did was only theater.”

Harry barely has time to take in all the other little things about Louis before Liam puts the blankets back up to tuck in the sleeping trophy. He leads Harry back out into the main room, where Harry is met with more deeply disapproving looks from Zayn. Every exhale of smoke that leaves Zayn’s lips, Harry assumes to be symbolic of Zayn considering him as unworthy as smoke, dust or ashes.

With another snarl Zayn asks, “Satisfied?”

“Some, not entirely. He cut himself, scratch or not. Again, I need to know if he is doing that sort of thing, and how often?”

“Worried the money won’t come in? Hum? Realize now Daddy’s boy had his Uni education paid by daddy’s prized performer? Worried the money will dry up if Louis offs himself?” 

Liam addresses Zayn’s accusations, “Zayn, stop that. Harry is not Robert,” before addressing Harry’s concern. “Look Harry, cutting is not a thing with Louis. Hurting himself, in any form, he doesn’t do that. Louis is a fighter not a crier. I still don’t know what that bit with the knife was about,”

Zayn interrupts, “I do!”

Liam cuts Zayn off again. “Zayn, I said stop.” Liam is the most terse Harry has ever seen him. Zayn is far more moody in his building shroud of smoke he generates as if deliberately.

The tension and heated tempers between the two confirms that Harry has stepped into a mess by coming to Liam’s flat. No going back now.

“He’s not right in the head is he?” Harry surmises that because of the protectiveness that underlies both young men’s frustration. “He needs to get help.”

Zayn looks to be about to get up from where he was sitting on a tall kitchen chair like to confront Harry, but Liam pushes him back. Surely he intended to show Harry to the door.

“We are helping Louis.” Liam says. “You stay out of it.”

Harry is dumbfounded. “Helping him in what? I can say that the activities at the club are absolutely not legal. Not only are they illegal, they are...” 

Harry stops mid-argument. He’s made a decision. “I’m closing the club. Effective immediately, it is closed until further notice.”

Liam jumps in. “You can’t do that. You can’t, you don’t understand,”

“_Understand_? I don’t understand what? Can’t? Well actually, Liam I can. I’m the owner. It’s closed until further notice. Maybe get Louis some real medical help, like psychiatric help and when he’s not totally out of control, we can discuss club operations. This is my decision.”

Liam starts to protest, “Harry, your father would...”

Harry stops Liam, speaking over him. “Like you said, Liam, I’m not my father. Since I am not him, I am not turning a blind eye to a stripper who is on the edge. My decision is final.”

*** 

Tuesday morning, Harry drives out of town to his mum’s home for some badly needed respite from the city, the club atmosphere.

It’s a funny thing. Harry has always thought of their house as hers, Anne’s home. Never as theirs, meaning the home of his mother and his stepfather. Maybe because Robert was rarely there. 

Anne is not home when he gets there, so Harry spends the day lost in mulling over recent events. To be certain he doesn’t know what he has done in closing the club, temporary or not. He reflects on everything that happened starting with when Louis took the stage wearing his angel wings, the decision he made at Liam’s, his certainty that for a night Liam and Zayn both were dicking Louis. 

Later in the day, a call from Anne snaps Harry from this day-dreamy state.> 

Grabbing his phone with a reckless clumsiness, answering as he looks down at his pants only to see he has a wet spot formed no doubt while he was lost to thinking about Louis. Harry bubbled precum, untouched, the moment he imagined his neck tingling with the lick of Louis’ tongue, the sensation causing him similar pre-cum during that sorted performance, before the angel turned into a demonic nightmare. 

“Mum, hi,” Harry says running his hand over himself wishing his erection away. “Where are you? I drove home just to spend some time with you but you’ve been gone all day.”

Anne explains. She’s at Gemma’s. Anne asks Harry to stay over if he can and telling him she will be home within an hour.

***

Harry leaves home the following day, sent off by his mother in the morning who seems to know that he was troubled by what he didn’t share rather than what he did, intuitively like mothers always do. Harry tried his best not to deepen her concern about Robert. The image of Louis with the knife haunts Harry; he wonders how dangerous the small, but unhinged stripper can be.

***

Walking into the building housing his flat, Robert’s city residence, Harry is met with a surprise. 

Sitting on the floor in the hall, back to Harry’s door is a beanie-clad pixie Louis.

Louis must have fallen asleep. He jumps to his feet, startled by Harry and proceeds to nearly fall over like his legs were numb from sitting for so long.

Harry knows the perils of catching the falling star, so he doesn’t try this time. Louis rebounds before he collapses but not before hits the wall. The sight of this is simultaneously hilarious, painful and cute with a hint of something Harry can’t pinpoint. 

Once Louis pulls himself together, he tries to look big. It’s adorable. He’s a mess, but an adorably cute mess.

“Harry. Hi. Um, I need to talk to you. It’s about the club. The closing. It’s, we, um… we should talk.”

Harry is surprised that he has any control around Louis. To be honest, all his thinking about Louis has him wanting to take this wretched mess in his arms and hold him. _Kiss those thin pink lips that have been on his cock and… stop_. Harry tells himself, _just stop_. 

Harry unlocks the door to his flat. He avoids eye contact with Louis. He’s aware Louis is looking soft and small in his oversized hoodie, a cashmere beanie and trackers. He smells good too, which begs to question how long he’s been sitting there. It could have been an hour. It could have been twenty-four.

“Louis, the club is my business to oversee and I don’t require the input of a stripper. Least of all one who violates all the laws and puts the business at risk.”

Harry is about to close the door on Louis, when Louis sticks his foot in the door to prevent that. A hand he puts on Harry’s face forces Harry to step back to remove its touch and this allows Louis’ entry. The assertiveness from one so small is surprising. More surprising is how stepping inside uninvited, he makes a third assault to kiss Harry's lips. Harry wants to push Louis off, but he doesn’t. His brain says “Warning: a slap is coming. A stinging slap and a scornful look that scorches you, like you are vile, putrescence.”

Yet somehow, the kiss continuing there is no slap. Instead, Louis’ hands begin to run over Harry’s body until Harry makes an effort to resist gently, by taking ahold of each of Louis’ wrists, making Louis’ hands become raised over his head as Harry walks Louis backward. He stops the back-walk with Louis pressed against the door they just came through, the kiss taken away. Once Louis is pinned to the door, Harry sternly resumes holding Louis at bay. Literally. Figuratively.

“You weren’t invited in. As persuasive as you might think you can be, I’d prefer you stop trying to manipulate me.”

Louis tries to wiggle his wrists free. He can’t. Harry holds them tighter to stop him. 

“Then let me go. If you’re so in control.” Louis looks at Harry’s lips. Harry’s lips always entice Louis’ eyes, starting with an obsession that seemed to overcome Louis at first sight when they met at the dance club across the street from Harry’s club. 

It’s palpable how much Louis wants them. Lingering on them, Louis professes, “I came here to ask you to consider an offer. You don’t have to be a twat about the other night. You don’t like the way the club operates then fine, deal yourself out. It’s clear you are too good, too entitled for something as shameful as a strip club, despite that that club paid your way through Uni, _I_ paid your way through Uni...”

It is written on Louis’ face his ongoing yearning for Harry’s lips while his words are spoken with contempt for Harry’s elitist attitude and privileged position. When Louis says he paid Harry’s way through University, the sting the word leveled are different in form from a slap but just as effective.

Harry releases Louis and steps away quickly. 

“Okay Louis. Let’s talk. I’d like to hear this offer; I presume you mean a buyout? You have my ears.”

For first time Louis has stopped looking at Harry’s lips as he studies the wrists he rubs. Harry has a tinge of guilt for the restraint having been so severe. 

“I have savings that are a substantial percentage of the value of the club. If you allow me more time to make the difference; by reopening the club, I could buy you outright in say a year, you have to stop interfering with the business as it is. Let Liam run it.”

“So that’s it? When I overheard Zayn say 10K in the bank, you’ve been using the club, your public porn theater for profits to buy the club from my father?”

Louis resumes fixating on Harry’s face, his lips, again. Harry presses on as his question remains, “And is this something my father was in agreement on this too?”

Louis looks around the flat. He has a quality to his survey of it like he knows it, Robert Twist’s home away from home a familiar setting that Louis has been to before. 

Without explanation, he goes to a coat closet, opening it. Reaching to the top shelf, he takes out a box. Putting the box on a coffee table, he takes off his beanie and hoodie, before Harry thinks to stop him. On his chest, the once covered cut is exposed. It looks not so bad as when he first did it Sunday night, it looks like a long scratch, perhaps not much worse than what a cat could make. 

Louis slips out of his trackers and, underneath them, he wears nothing. From the box, he pulls out a collar that is leather with an O-ring. It needs no explanation.

“As long as I do as he wants, whatever I wanted I could have what I want.” Louis says. 

Putting the collar on his neck, he extracts a chain leash, he offers it to Harry. “You know, I hate the stench of this place. The smell of him. But it serves its purpose. Better here than at the club all the time. It can be a distraction, you know, for the other performers, employees. We’re like a family. It’s pretty upsetting when your Daddy needs his kinks filled, so we do it there. Didn’t you see what he filmed, me with other men, so you probably know that he used that to get himself off. Or do you not still? You know, he’d talk about you when we were alone together here.”

Louis extracts a short whip. It’s soft, but a whip. He hands that to Harry too. Harry can’t stop accepting what Louis is giving him. Confronted with Louis nudity, collared, giving himself as he surely intends Harry forgets this is wrong. His lapse in resolve is rooted in that Louis has such a sweet ass. Ample, beautifully full, smooth. His full thighs look so succulent. Firm. Shapely. Above his tiny waist all is delicate. Well, except his arms; Louis biceps have lithe, shapely muscling. Every little thing about him says perfect-twink. Bottom. Sub, except Harry knows that Louis is no sub. He has teeth. He makes his money. He gets his respect.

Louis comes to Harry, who is tittering with a dangerous dilemma. Does he resist? Can he? Louis starts pulling off Harry’s clothing piece by piece. At times he takes the chain or the whip back from Harry’s hands to do this undressing as he also places kisses over Harry’s skin that causes a warm, simmering feeling with each touch of those thin, pink lips.

“Daddy wanted a sort of thing that he couldn’t get at home, he wouldn’t take the risk” , “he worshipped your mouth for its perfection”, “would tell me he could imagine it on his cock, his balls”, “he couldn’t chance a word of it going to your mum from your lips”, “he make me play your role, the part of his son”, “your father was sure your hole would be just a sweet”, “recessed in the cheeks of our tiny booty”, “_Ah, but your cock..._“ 

As Louis says “cock” he has Harry completely stripped. Naked, standing with chain and whip in hand. Louis goes to his knees, taking Harry in hand and giving Harry’s dick the first lick from his cock-clever tongue, “...your Daddy always bragged how endowed his boy is, much bigger than me,”

Louis’ first long swipe of tongue along the vein underneath the organ has Harry beading pre-cum and Louis hasn’t even started putting any of its length in his mouth to start a proper sucking.

Before that, he adds one more thought. “Somehow, I think if he were with us now, Daddy would approve of this, us. Watching me unravel his boy, my mouth sucking you hard before I get needy and have to ride you.”

Harry has to drop the chain leash and short crop whip. Louis’ mouth on his cock has him going to the floor. This give Louis more control over him. Harry can’t restrain how marvelous it is to enjoy the sensations of how Louis applies nuances to his length, altering some of what he does with either his tongue or his lips so Harry is always having a new edging kind of experience. This has Harry coming down Louis’ throat all too soon, when Louis first sinks as much of Harry as he can manage to deep throat. Louis takes every last drop with a hum that suggests it’s a tasty elixir. When he finally pops off, Louis’ pink lips are red, his eyes watering from the effort are a new shade of blue. 

Perhaps because his pupils are dilated with his want, there is something about him that looks all the more angelic. The only reminder of this sprite being actually devilish is the knife-cut he made on himself over his heart. 

Harry is frozen in place, as he really didn’t ask for any of this. He wanted to refuse Louis. Somehow, now having been made to cum in Louis’ mouth so easily, hasn’t strengthen his resolve to put lust for Louis aside. It’s deepened it. Harry is powerless to take the moral path of resistance.

“Don’t close the club another night, please.” Louis says. His voice is a softer, raspier one than before. There is an edge of desperation. A pleading whisper to it.

Louis collects the toys and stands up. He uses the chain gently to tug Harry along with him by putting it just along the back of Harry’s neck, no coil of any sort as he walks backwards toward the bedroom. Once beside the bed, he slips it off, pushes Harry down. With more confidence in his tone, Louis says, “Now, for the fucking.”

The confidence with which Louis speak implies this act is their contractual bond. 

Harry begins to conjure his protest, thinking he won’t stiffen anytime so soon as he’s just come but Louis is content to plop himself over Harry, straddling him and resume to kiss him.

The way fingers go to caress Harry’s face as close to where their lips are joined tell Harry how obsessed Louis is with his mouth, his lips, his dimples. Fingers seemingly need to verify all the smallest details of Harry’s features. 

While they kiss, Louis ruts his body against Harry’s thighs and pelvis area. His soft balls and hard cock tickle Harry. To Harry’s amazement, Louis has a profound effect on Harry’s drive. His semi-flaccid, recently spent cock stiffens ever so slight. Louis stops the kiss, looking at what he might have felt stiffening while he was doing this mock dick riding over Harry. A mischievous smile forms.

“See Harry, I knew Daddy’s boy would want to cum-play soon.” 

Louis doesn’t need help knowing where there is lube bedside. He reaches a side drawer and pulls some out. He slathers some on his bum and a hand that he uses to stroke Harry’s cock to slick it generously. Slicked cock in hand, he tries to position his own in hand with Harry’s while his other hand reaches around himself to finger himself. 

“I can’t guarantee anything.” Harry says refraining from completion of the thought. He can’t guarantee he can do this? Or he can’t agree to Louis’ demands to reopen? The way Louis looks as he’s preparing to take cock is a sign he is perhaps unconcerned about much other than getting some dick. He releases their conjoined cocks to get more lube. This time he also slicks the handle of the short riding whip. It’s the first that Harry realizes that the crop is a pleasure toy in two ways. One is obvious. The other one is only less obvious until Louis uses it as a nicely sized anal-sex prep toy. Louis plays at pushing it against his entrance. As he works more into penetrating himself with it, the performance artist in him has Harry swept away with it. There is a dance-like rhythm to his playing with stroking Harry’s cock and impaling himself with the toy.

He murmurs more and more as he builds his pleasure and urge for more. Mostly, he mumbles comments like “mouth like yours meant for me arse,” and he adds something to the effect of “huge cock, too pretty to leave to mortals”. The angel-demon in Louis’ world of sex is intoxicating. Temptations Harry wanted to resist fall away. When Louis decides to toss the whip aside, he takes the base of Harry’s cock in a loop he makes using the fine chain to wrap, creating a cock ring on Harry before he starts to stuff Harry’s knob. It is a quite tight, but welcoming hole. 

“Oh, fuck me...” Harry gasps. The chain restraint on his cock feels so good. Louis’ resourcefulness is astonishing. Their private intercourse is every bit as much a performance as those Louis has done in public. He pushes himself down slowly on Harry’s length, staring at Harry’s face with a wicked search for verification for Harry’s appreciation of how the tight chain makes his feeling intensified. So effectively does it heighten Harry’s sensitivity. So perfectly does it send a message; the bottom has the top as his submissive and he, Louis, is in control. In true power-bottom, Louis begins to dick ride, taking to pounding himself down on Harry, his hips rolling as he takes his pleasure.

Skin glistening, a bead of sweat now and then escaping from Louis’ hairline he’s nothing short of “Majestic!”, Harry sputters out. “Fuck me, Louis, you’re majestic as fuck.” 

Louis smiles at Harry. Bending down to kiss him again before pulling back with his smile. There is the mischief in it.

“Come again?” Louis asks with his eyebrows raising. A pixie’s curiosity crossing his face.

Is Louis asking the meaning of what Harry said, which is possible given his head was back and his eyes closed momentarily when Harry spoke with words in such a rush they were a mumble of sounds.

Or was it that Louis meant “come again” as in a command?

The color of Louis’ eyes when they fix next on Harry’s are an even darker blue, his pupils fully dilated, his fingers brush over Harry’s lips. For a split second, Harry fears the stinging slap will follow, but what is in Louis’ eyes is none of the hate that stirs up in Louis since he learned of Harry’s identity. 

Bathed in what looks like the emotion of love, Harry breaks. Harry begins to fill Louis’ ever yet so tight arse. Louis releases the chain with its tight coil from around the base of Harry’s cock that, until now, Louis held making a cock-ring effect. He makes one quick dally with the chain around the base of his own cock as he starts to spurt his cum across Harry’s chest. Harry’s orgasm ebbs ever so slight and he gets greater appreciation for the sensation of Louis’ walls spasming on his cock. That sensation from Louis’ body extends Harry’s own pleasure, making Harry experience the lightness of a near-blackout that is orgasm-induced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Harry, Louis, Liam, Zayn 
> 
> Minor character: Anne Twist 
> 
> The one where Louis uses his persuasive skills for hopes of having the club reopen...meaning a lot of smut. 
> 
> Harry learns that Louis has been a key player in Harry’s fortunate lifestyle and likely the reason his step-father was living so frequently distant from his home and family. (c18).


	15. Deeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry comes away from his latest sexual encounter with Louis with renewed determination to solve the ongoing mystery. With his research he discovers yet another Louis-connected mystery; the murder of former stripper Shawn Mendez some four years earlier.

Transcription continues with Harry’s deposition of a few hours later as Louis tries to be more persuasive. 

***

Louis had come off Harry and laid beside Harry giving Harry the distinct feeling that Louis needs to check out all the various little things about him; his body, his person. Little Things like how Louis wants to know what are the two odd skin forms are that are slightly obstructed from notice by the a very large tattoo, Harry has on his torso. “They are extra nipples.” Harry informs Louis as his hands brush over Louis’ silky shin to the explanation given Louis simply says “cool” as he uncharacteristically moves to affectionately nests tighter to Harry. 

There was so much Louis almost said in his little inquiries, his curiosities about Harry, that Harry got that feeling of a perfect date, a feeling where every thing your date asks about you makes you feel alive and special. Before Harry could slip into an urgent need to press on for how messed up Louis seems to be Louis falls asleep so Harry doesn’t get to do his in-turn inquiry.

A few hours later though Harry wakes to Louis on his cock.

Louis’ mouth at least. 

His delicate hands. 

Louis occasionally popping off Harry’s dick to suck or lick his balls.

His fingers teasing over Harry’s nipples which is a thing that always makes Harry highly aroused. So aroused is Harry that by the time Louis coats Harry’s cock with lube and begins to sit himself on the length Harry comes inside Louis embarrassingly fast.

Louis laughs. He stays stuffed with Harry’s length, compliments Harry with a mix of dirty talk about Harry and more than a little cooing over “Harry’s cherub face, Adonis body” before asking if Harry would like to eat him out?

Well of course! Harry thinks. 

Louis proceeds to walk up over Harry on his knees so Louis’ hole, cream pie filled by Harry, is planted over Harry’s face to Harry’s delight. Harry licks. 

Harry works his tongue inside Louis’ walls to eat his cum dump out of Louis. The act of doing this makes Louis come. 

Harry feels the sensation of Louis’ walls spasming as his tongue probes deep.

After some loud moaning at the onset of the orgasm Louis slurs something about Harry’s oh-so-perfect mouth, how much the obsession for it drives Louis crazy.

***

Harry wakes next to conditions that are bright and sunny.

What has he done?

From Louis there is a note. “Hey Curly, I took some of your clothes. Club opens today? Liam can contact the staff?”

***

Inspector Ben Winston is not the easiest man to get an appointment with if you are not in the chain. Start at the bottom, Harry is directed when he requested to speak with Winston. Step one, give your report to a uniformed officer. It goes through a series of channels. To have Inspector Winston address concerns there is a process that proceeds his attention, so Harry learns.

Harry gives up. Besides, Harry has some concerns given that Winston had an arrangement with Robert Twist. In many ways this makes Winston a growing suspect in Robert’s disappearance. The Inspector has means. Disturbingly, however suspect number one remains the waif-like, unbalanced-pixie Louis who Harry was just intimate with. 

With Louis the primary concern Harry decides instead to look into what he has at his fingertips; the revolting number of videos he is father made, files and records the club kept though the latter are mostly mundane business. Mundane yes, but in some of these documents Harry finds the intriguing. So he ignores every pleading call from Liam, the inquires from Louis, about reopening. Instead Harry decides to have selected club personnel, only those who are security, resume work immediatley.

About twenty percent of the personnel agree to resuming work. Most of the senior security staff refuse. They quit on the grounds that their primary responsibly will be to restrict Louis and Liam from entry. The vast majority of them add their opinion of Harry. That he is “a flagrant spoiled arse”, “a prima-donna”, “à chip off the old block” or “I won’t go against a stripper and the manager I know far better”. 

***

Hours into his investigation of club documents Harry has discovered a history that shows how Harry’s step father operated. Robert kept detailed information in two sets of books. This the classic way to hide cash payments, illegal, but weighed against his father’s other crimes this isn’t the worst of them. Interestingly the secret set of books has a column of coded entries. It takes some effort but Harry comes to a conclusion that some of the codes correlate to some of the encounters with Louis that were filmed. Aligning the videos with the code gives Harry a more detailed idea of precisely when each video was made. 

Cash entries in the second set of books show how encounters with Louis and partners began when Louis was eighteen and on the roster as a stripper-employee. This substantiates what Louis has said, that Harry’s privileged life was funded by Louis. Robert would parade Louis out, his beautiful ass waved, the Tease was born. 

Another thing Harry finds is how there is a pattern to entries that suggests something like there was some other information that was of pivotal interest to Robert. These are the many entries that don’t tie to Louis’ exploitive use. The column only records dates in coded tags to linking video. Harry sorts through the Pandora’s Box of videos and finds the corresponding recordings. 

Curiously, the poor quality videography of these no-cash entries is the first thing Harry notes about the subset of videos. The next thing Harry notes is how the filming of these videos is a setup such that it looks to have been made by a camera that is in a fixed position. It’s very likely that the video is done without knowledge of those being filmed. Strikingly all these videos were made inside Louis’ private little cubby. 

The subjects filmed inside the cubby were always Louis with Shawn, Shawn Mendez, a lad who looked maybe a few years older than Louis. 

In every video Louis speaks to Shawn with genuine, lover’s tenderness. Shawn in return is gentle and devoted to Louis. The purity expressed between them clarifies that stripper Shawn and Louis were boyfriends. Keeping their love secret perhaps? Harry can’t be sure but his hunch is that neither of them was recording this to leverage against the other. Harry suspects their affair was his step-father’s obsession.

Furthermore it’s clear from documents that Louis’ rise to become a star stripper put Louis in the public eye where his sex-quest-fans would fight for a chance to pay for a piece of him. It started with his mouth. Eventually the opportunity to enjoy a piece of his arse. Louis is central to the success of the business. 

The question of Robert’s whereabouts is not the only mystery. Review of payments for “special event” reveals the last cash entry Robert made was the day before his disappearance. 

With Robert gone where is the money going? A shiver travels up Harry’s spine as he recalls Zayn telling Niall the odd thing of _“Good. Real good, 10K, in the bank.” _

That Zayn has probably taken over counting Louis’ fees is further supported by what Stephanie said to Harry; Zayn doesn’t work in an official capacity for the club. _Zayn looks after Louis,_ the waitress added, _“since the thing.” _

The thing? Robert’s disappearance? 

Growing fear about his stepfather’s welfare and Louis’ justifiable hatred of him has full clarity. Even the way Louis flipped one-eighty from wanting a nameless Harry based on looks to becoming revolted by his attraction to Harry once he learned who Harry Styles is has reason now. 

Insane behaviors, like the knife, are the signs of abuse that Louis has lived with. The fear he wanted to create in Harry? Was that an internal battle of physical attraction fighting mental abuse? 

Harry has to ask himself again, could it be justifiable that Louis was driven to murder? 

Reconciling possibilities has Harry a little numb. He sits in the office questioning what to do next with all this information while continuing to ignore calls from Liam and Louis. Speaking with Ben is completely out of the question. If anything Ben is a wildcard, an unknown. He decides to review other business documents going back to when Louis was first put on the payroll. 

It’s hours later when Harry finds old employee records for Shawn Mendez. Shawn was twenty-two when he was hired to strip. The duration of his employment was a little over a year. His termination is not listed as a dismissal or a resignation. Not sure what else to do given that Shawn is significant in this mystery Harry goes to the library to search public records to glean anything about prior employment, addresses, education. 

Shawn went to Uni in London. Studied education and athletics. Certified as a coach. Worked at a prestigious academy not far from the strip club. In pictures Shawn had a perfect look for appealing to those who like their strippers young, hard bodied but not too muscular. His fans would crossover with Louis’ current fan base. 

It’s a chilling to discover that Shawn Mendez died at twenty-three. Cause of death was multiple lacerations to his torso and throat. The circumstance of his murder had gone through an investigation. The lead investigator? Ben Winston. A motive, the identity of the murderer? Unknown. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The one where the mystery heightens as Harry learns of a stripper was murdered who had an extensive relationship with Louis. Harry refrains from pushing Ben for answers and his fear grows that his father has met a tragic end, perhaps at Louis’ making.  
(c19)


	16. Enigmatic Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry continues his own private investigation, keeping Louis at bay, the club closed. To his surprise he discovers Louis’ has a private rooftop retreat where Harry once again succumbs to Louis’ whims.
> 
> Chapter opens with Ben’s first request to Harry that the club reopen. The one where Louis and Harry have rooftop sex in Louis’ glamping-boudoir. Harry connects dots between the shared history of the murdered stripper, Louis, Liam and Niall.

Transcription continues Harry’s pov 

*** 

Another two days go by with Harry refusing to take any calls. Not from Liam, nor bar and wait staff or strippers and most of all not from Louis. He’s also had a call from Ben that he also let for to voice mail.

Ben wants to talk to him. About the club. Reopening it.

Ben’s message Harry replays again and again. It concludes with Ben saying, “...should Louis try to persuade you again?”

Harry isn’t sure what to do. He’s not ready to share any of his theories with his mum yet. Leading theory: Louis is mental. Made so by Robert, Ben, many others too perhaps. Maybe something with Shawn triggered Louis leading to him commit murder. Maybe this made Louis more indebted to his keepers, Robert and Ben. 

perhaps Ben continues to this day to cover-up for Louis. Louis murders again but Louis continues to give Ben sex when Ben wants him. Meanwhile a hyper-sexual, mentally unstable Louis also has sex with Liam, Niall and Zayn.

Looking through the employee files on Liam and Niall there are more interesting coincidences. Niall Horan and Liam Payne are both graduates of the academy where Shawn taught. The timing is such that they overlapped at the Academy, thus Shawn, Niall and Liam all knew each other. The two former Brighton students came to work for Robert after Shawn’s murder. A look at the graduating class roster from the year they completed academy lists the name of Zayn Malik as a graduate too.

Every turn takes Harry back to his theory. Louis is a stripper. A porn star. A murderer. 

It’s late when Harry decides to leave the club. He’s nervous having made his assumption about Louis. This is why he wishes he had asked one of the bouncers to work security until he leaves. Instead he’s alone. 

Or is he? 

Harry was sure he did not leave on any lights except ones near the employee door in the corridor but he discovers a light on at the far end of the corridor where the door is also ajar that leads to steps. The steps lead to the roof where there is the equipment that powers the building. Like most clubs of this type, this club is two stories high to allow for very high ceilings and raised stage arrangement. 

Each step Harry takes to ascend to the roof has the hair rising on the back of Harry’s neck with a foreboding. Once to the top of the stairs Harry opens the door of the rooftop pop-out on top of the building. This massive building is so old that it was built with stonework including a short, knee-high stone wall that rims rooftop edge. This stone wall edifice and the power transformer should be all that is on the roof but Harry discovers for the first time taking over his father’ business that is not the case.

In all the time Harry has never thought there was a need to see what is on the roof. 

To his surprise there is a tent and a fire burning in a small, metal barrel fire pit. Some camping chairs scattered around the fire pit. One that faces away from him is occupied by the creator of this private-rooftop, fire-warmed sanctuary.

Harry knows who it is without approaching. 

Cautiously Harry advances realizing when he is fairly close that Louis wears earbuds with music on loudly.

“Louis.”

Louis jumps up, startled, seeing Harry he falls back, tripping over his own chair. Harry grabs Louis. Once Harry does this Louis does that thing. The thing Harry hopes had transformed since their recent entanglements. 

There is a kiss, sublime, until a split second after it starts Louis slaps Harry. 

“Fuck off!” Rings in Harry’s ears as Harry grabs ahold of Louis in a self-defending restraint. Harry feels Louis have a shiver. It is so warm near the fire that Harry knows the shiver was not the kind caused by feeling cold. It is how murderously angry Harry makes Louis. 

The lingering sting of the slap and strange fear about knives makes Harry release Louis and create space between them. The pain Harry feels must be shared since Louis wrings the hand he struck Harry with.

Frightened of this little lion despite knowing Harry can overpower him physically, Harry moves to the opposite side of the fire pit for protection. 

“Louis what are you doing here? The club is closed. Based on what I’ve discovered it might stay closed forever.”

Louis trembles more visibly. From the light radiating off the fire Harry sees the way Louis’ eyes tear up words come out jittery. “You can’t, why? Weren’t you pleased when I left? Why? I mean... You can’t...”

Sure enough tears come. Harry gets the feeling crying isn’t a Louis thing. His oversized shirt covers most of Louis’ fingers so when he wipes his face he looks like a toddler he’s so small in his clothing, or Harry’s actually. The shirt Louis wears being one thing Louis took from Harry’s flat when Louis tired to persuade Harry. 

“Louis, I’ve learned a few things since then. Concerning things. Like about a stripper who used to work here who was murdered... there are suspicious circumstances around my father Louis. My father who was, pimping you. Starting years ago when you turned eighteen. You know you might be given some special consideration, with the courts, if you’ve done something you shouldn’t have.”

Suddenly Louis is laughing. Laughing and crying mixed. “You think I’m insane, and that I have done something to your father? You know I wouldn’t mind one bit, but if you’re thinking I am responsible for some bad things that happened, you would be wise to reopen the club, if you want anything good to come from the legacy of Robert Twist for your family. Before it’s too late. Before someone else has to die.”

There it is. Louis admits murder. 

“What?” 

Louis comes around the fire to him while Harry would rather want to keep a safe space between them. _Wants to._ He can’t. Like a dreamer trapped in their sleep his attempts to flee leave him with the feeling that his feet are stuck in quick-sand.

Louis threads his arms around Harry’s waist. His finger gently brush over the side of the face he slapped, venom gone from his voice, softness in its place he says, “I’m sorry for before. So beautiful is your face it should never be hit. Sorry, so sorry,” 

Louis begins what Harry knows he shouldn’t want. Shouldn’t risk. He sinks to his knees, “...please let me do this for you.”

Harry is about to push Louis away, make him stop when Louis looks up to him with eyes so pure, “Kiss me. There is suppose to be a full moon tonight. If the clouds would clear...It should be a special night, the sky should clear, I should be kissed by lips so soft, silky...kiss me.” 

Harry doesn’t know why but he does. He goes to his knees too and he kisses Louis. Louis who a minute ago spat vitriol at him and stung him with a slap so hard the reverberated for minute after. Somehow when they kiss everything that was sore fades away. All Harry feels is the only the kiss, Louis’ body. Trembles that were quite pronounced, a sign of trauma perhaps, fade away as they kiss and in Harry’s core builds the powerful need that Louis creates.

Harry is caught in this web of confusion. How Louis drifts from angel to demon is perplexing. As if Louis reads his thoughts, his hands going to playing with Harry’s cock he speaks through the kisses he peppers over Harry as he states his view. 

“I saw you the first time at the club across from mine, and I fell, it was like I was looking at an angel. I wanted you. Needed, had to have you...”

“...Zayn told me you looked like trouble. The face, the mouth, the dimples, the hair. These legs of yours. The last one I had who was trouble was called Shawn. Shawn up here in the moonlight. If I wanted you, Zayn said I should let you go...”

“...that’s before I knew who you are the one...the one that owns my home...my only home...since I was eight...please don’t take this from me, my home, my family...just because you’re privileged, too good for all of this.”

This is far too much. Despite how good it felt when Louis began a lover’s kiss, before the broken sentences leads to another revelation; has been an entity at this club since he was a child of eight. This strip club has been Louis’ entire life. 

The moon peeks out. In its light Louis looks every bit the angel he first thought Harry to be. Pretty, petite, angelic far too much so to do murder. Harry lets a kiss linger. Fear of further entanglement is dampened as they continue. Louis’ hands roam under Harry’s shirt to find, play, with his nipples. This leads to Harry confiding, “It’s so beautiful up here, but cold.” 

“I can warm you.” Louis says. Standing quickly. A hand tugs Harry to come along. Louis takes Harry to the tent. Inside the large tent is a glamping-like decor. It’s not the small confining two-man kind of tent Harry knows from his boyhood wilderness camp outings. It has a Indian style vibe. Or Egyptian. There are posh, silky pillows everywhere. The floor is covered with piles of soft mats to be a plush and comfortable as it is. A pair of sleeping bags appeared to be zipped together in a manner that makes the two into one large one capable of sleeping two or three people. Thin strands of fairy lights are pinned to the roof of the tent. They are on giving the enclosure a magical kind of ambiance though the moonlight enhances the romantic sort of feeling almost more. Maybe this is because moonlight ever breaking through the typically cloudy city sky this time of year is rare and to be celebrated. 

Harry isn’t sure why he is allowing himself to be lead into this glamping-boudoir tent. With Louis beginning to undress temptation is too compelling. Harry follows his lead. To see the way Louis looks when once he is nude, crawling over the push bedding on his hands and knees, his bum being caressed by the romantic lighting all Harry can think is if only Louis had that plug-tail up his arse he would make the perfect image of a delightfully dangerous, kitten-seductor. 

“I see how you want this,” Louis says pausing his cat-like tent-prowl on hands and knees to slide a hand over the curve of his arse. He then continues to crawl around aware how he’s made Harry forget the coldness, he’s locked Harry eyes on his curves, his ample ass. Harry’s cock is already stiffening from the sight of Louis. He’s such a tease. Tommo the Tease. 

Louis lays so his back has several pillows as a backrest. He does this so he can show Harry his own arousal by making a couple wanks with his hand on his cock. His stiffy is far more urgent than Harry’s, an indication he’s wanting dick so badly. He reaches under the pillows, takes out a bottle of lube. Tossing it to Harry he proceeds to resume his panther-like pacing on hands and knees so his bum is a constant siren-call tormenting Harry. 

For a spit second Harry worries that Louis alway has some other non-lube surprise hiding somewhere. A knife, should Harry be too cavalier when he’s given Louis no assurances of reversing his decision about the club closure? 

Can Harry resist the sinful sight of Louis’ big, round, fat ass? He isn’t even aware his hands have taken control like automation without his brain as they open the flip cap bottle, begin to put the lube on themselves then his cock that is instantly hard, a ragging throb of want begins. Meanwhile Louis begins to position himself prone. Chest down. Bum up. Confronted by this things get massively worse when he pulls his cheeks apart to give Harry a peek at his tiny hole. It’s a presentation exactly like the picture that adorns the wall in the corridor of the club below. Two delicate hands, one luscious arse, parted cheeks to show his tiny treasure. 

“Please.” Louis says. 

Harry moves to bob his knob against Louis’ ass. This puts lube there. He moves to continue to use his cock like a brush to slick Louis’ body. In the crevasse, sliding his length between legs and under Louis so Harry’s cock slicks Louis’ dick and balls with its gooey lube, but mostly Harry works to continue to bounce his knob against the treasure. 

“Pleeeazzz.” Louis says, wiggling his booty. 

Harry has an evil temptation to dip his cock in this body unprepped but he knows that would hurt so he drenches the entrance and does the nice thing to playing with Louis’ rim with a tickle of a touch. Does his first finger insertion shallow. 

“Pleeeazzz, make me cry.” 

Harry stays with fingering into Louis. Louis says prone so submissively. His hands are visible so Harry stops fearing his got some weapon stashed. Confidence and yearning growing, Harry drives a solo finger in feeling how it alone fills Louis as he is so tight. Louis begins to sass. It’s like the sass Harry heard the time when Liam was fucking him only a minute or two after Ben. He tries adding a second finger to stop the sass. Louis sasses more. Harry slaps Louis ass telling him, “Some patience or you’ll be sore.” 

Louis looks around at him, Harry senses Louis was biting his lips a sign that his demands for Harry’s cock before enough prepping was attempted deceit. It would have hurt to take it. His lips biting proves the opposite of his sass is true. Should a partner want him to have pleasure they should give him the lover’s care. A hunch crosses Harry’s mind; if other lovers never took kindness in this maybe the abuse drove Louis to murder. 

Confirming his guess Louis mumbles “I’ve been sore many times before, fucking fuck me already.” 

Harry responds to the demand by a short burst of three fingers in Louis. Once he’s pulled them out he puts his knob in right away hoping to please Louis. Louis gives him a “yas”, followed by a “fill me.” 

Harry finds that the more of himself he puts in Louis the more the intensity of the pleasure is so overwhelming he sort of tunes out Louis’ talk. He recalls how Niall had him gagged. How Zayn shut him up with cock. Louis has a very dirty mouth and much too spectacular an arse for mere mortals. 

Harry makes a point to pull Louis into a back bend by gripping his hair as he gets to pounding Louis hard with penetrations that hit bottom. This has Louis choking off all of his disparaging commentary. Several minutes into this Harry needs a pause so he takes Louis in arms pulling Louis upright on his knees mirroring how Harry is pressed behind him. Louis’ back to Harry’s chest, Harry takes Louis’ lips that are offered to him. They share a kiss over Louis’ shoulders while Harry leaves his cock buried and stilled in Louis for this pause from the pounding. 

He can feel so many things about Louis with them pressed together like this. For sure his booty is so full, it’s sweaty now too, so the feel of it pressed against his crotch is like there is a fire held between them. Then there is how small Louis is. Harry can feel his ribs, Louis’ lightly muscled arms are as if he has been gifted this twishish permeance by the gods. 

These drifting thoughts make Harrys kissing loose focus. Probably this is the cause of Louis taking to resume his chest down, prone pose and demanding Harry “get back to dicking me arse”, as Louis says. His use of “me” verses “my” suggests Louis roots are common, he’s not the classically educated type, no. Louis was educated here, at his home, a home among a cast of strippers. 

Common, though is hardly a word that can be used to describe Louis. He’s uncommonly divine at being fucked. Harry does get back to it. Dicking Louis with a pounding force he feels his demanding power-bottom’s walls begin to give him intense spasms on his cock, Louis’ face muffle by pillows can’t hide the way he expresses himself. His offensive language is replaced by praise of Harry. 

Harry is anointed with terms like “god”, “perfect”, “angel”, “beautiful”, “beast”, and notably, “love”... 

Harry’s spills his cum deep in Louis with his dick sat as fully impaling Louis as the pixie demon can manage to take. With the jizz creaming sensation Louis looks to be on the verge of a second orgasm on the heels of his first. Harry has seen how Louis can do this sort of thing with such ease when he performs. It is such an anomaly. The behavior adds to how Louis is such an enigma. Surely he is one in a million. And worth significantly more than that value that in pounds. 

The pleasure of his specialty being the value upon which Harry’s elitist, lavish life of privilege has been built. 

*** 

Harry wakes with a chill. After the sex Louis had shifted to bring Harry with him in between the two layers of doubled sleeping bag. There Louis had tucked into him. Harry had the distinct feeling that Louis was in his own head thinking of something tired to the full moon and some significance. It wasn’t about Harry or the club as much as when this encounter started. There was something else was in Louis’ understandably meddled mind. 

Something deep. 

More mystery with this enigma. 

But now it’s a bit cold. The cause of Harry’s waking. He looks around. Fairy lights till on. The moonlight making the night visibility good. The tent flap and screen are parted as both are unzipped allowing the colder night air in. 

Through the open gap Harry can see Louis is at the fire. He’s added wood. The flames shoot ever so slight above the walls of the steel metal fire pit container. 

It requires a few minutes of watching Louis before Harry realizes two things. 

The sparking flames are cause by Louis adding something. He’s sat on his heels he’s legs bent under him so he can take bits of things and burn them. Each time they hit the fire they flame up this the sparks. ....Evidence of some tragedy? 

The other thing. The thing that keeps Harry from revealing his wakefulness. ....Louis cries with every send of material to the fires of this...this what? Ceremony? Full moon? Demon offering? 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry
> 
> (c21)


	17. And Then There Were Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis’ rooftop persuasion was enough to convince Harry to reopen the club leading to another mystery; another death connected to Louis.

Transcription continuation Harry’s pov 

*** 

“Reopen the club.” Ben tells Harry over the phone. 

Harry took Ben’s call on the morning after his rooftop sex with Louis. Sex that left him confused about whether he wanted to pursue his secret investigation or back off. He considers he should approach Louis from a different angle. Maybe find a way to get Louis’ mental health assessed. How he could do that he isn’t sure. Actually, Harry’s to a point of worries about his own mental health. There is such a trove of defamation in the drawer that his father kept locked that held the family’s dirty secrets. If Harry told his mum about Robert, about Louis, it would kill her, forget the financial consequences to their lifestyle. Anne would never stand for this. So how does he? 

At an impasse of what is the right path he takes the morning call from Ben in which Ben doesn’t mince words. 

Ben orders Harry. “Reopen. You’ve got strippers, gay strippers who have no refuge other than their club. They need to pay bills. If you keep it closed they suffer. Why? Because Daddy’s pretty prince is too good for the foundation that gave him his preeminence?” 

Ignoring the reference to Harry’s exists perspective Harry responds calmly. “I’m considering reopening. Have been thinking that first there should be a review of some basic health concerns.” 

“Health concerns? What health concerns?”

“Louis. Louis having sex with multiple partners, barebacking random men, performing pornography for a live public audience. You of all people know how many laws we are breaking housing this activity.”

“Yes and you of all people know how well protected the club is.”

Harry shoots back. Ben may not a person to trifle with in this web of mysteries but the rooftop night with Louis was like the things of dreams. “Whatever the arrangement between you and my father was that has no bearing on my decisions Ben. I own this club. I run it now. I do as I like.”

“No Harry, that’s where you’re wrong.” Ben hangs up. 

Concerned with Ben meant Harry decides he should go to Liam’s but not before he checks on Louis who he left sleeping in the early hours of the morning up in the tent on the roof. 

There he finds the tent is zipped shut, no Louis. When did Louis sneak out? Surveying the roof he notes how Louis had a water bucket that at some point he used to pour on the coals so there is no danger of the fire blowing up with wind. He also notices there are a couple soccer balls laying around on the roof like Louis had been playing with them. Looking at how neat Louis left the tent, the extinguished fire, Harry decides to pick them up and take them to a corner of the roof where there is anet enclosure for keeping balls. He drops one ball in the then notices some scribbling on the white patches of the other. Examining the remnants of black marker Harry can identify a few letters. “..ay..” Harry assumes would be the remnants of some larger word or name. There is a lot of unreadable, worn off messages. Easily distinguishable are the words is “nice to meet ya!”. Harry assumes the letters “L-a-n” were once “L-i-a-m”. 

This discovery spurs Harry to go by Liam’s flat for another chat. 

*** 

It’s not Liam greeting Harry at his door but Niall instead. 

Niall looks to have just showered. 

“Niall?”

“Harry. Come in.” Niall steps aside. Niall is wearing a robe, a towel he was drying his hair with is in hand. To Harry’s knowledge Niall doesn’t live with Liam. 

“Bad timing?”

“No. Not really. Pretty good timing if you want to take a number. But then you had Louis recently, we’ve heard, so maybe you’re set for now.”

Explaining Niall’s meaning is the sounds of Zayn and Liam with Louis. They are loud. Niall shows no embarrassment about what he does next. He drops off the robe revealing a posting erection as he offers further context.

“Just was back from a run.” He goes toward the bedroom where the others are. Harry follows. With Niall entering the room, Harry peaks in to confirm the reason for the sounds.

Zayn is laying on the bed with Louis straddling his face. Liam also straddles Zayn but Liam is behind Louis so it is his knees that bracket Zayn’s torso, Louis’ back pressed against Liam’s chest. Liam is aggressively thrusting into Louis’ arse as he grips Louis with one hand on a hip, another on Louis’ shoulder. This appears to stabilize Louis who is taking this while Zayn, under Louis’ spread legs, appears to be lapping Louis’ balls and underside of Louis’ cock with his tongue. Louis’ hands have a tight grip on the headboard as Liam is fucking him punishingly rough. Despite the intensity of Liam’s thrusts Louis is egging Liam on like the gentler sex he had with Harry was not nearly enough to have satiated him.

Niall crawls on the bed. “Breed him Li. Fill his hole with your jizz. Me and Zee will fuck it out of him.”

Liam comes. He nipples on Louis shoulders during the orgasm making his words impossible to understand. Once Liam is done, Niall moving in, Liam swings a leg off while pulling Louis backward so Louis is brought down over Zayn’s crotch where Zayn’s hard cock, impressive, though less than Liam’s or Harry’s waits. 

Louis doesn’t hesitate to drop onto Zayn’s dick. No sooner does Louis do this than Niall moves to straddle Zayn’s legs so he can bring his cock to Louis’ backside. 

Louis mutters “Oh yeah lads, breed me hole, fucking fuck me raw.”

Louis doesn’t have to ask twice.

As Louis leans down toward Niall to present his once-stuffed hole, Niall slides his cock in along Zayn’s length. An eager Niall immediately sets the rhythm of dicking Louis with Liam taking to laying beside Zayn so he can wank Louis’ cock with a hand. Louis is moaning, Niall nibbling on shoulders like Liam had before. Zayn is praising them; Niall for the pace of his thrusts, the effect upon him, and Louis, for being what he is. “Such a good cock whore”, “always so hot”, “sweet fucking arse needy for dick”.

Liam pats the bed, welcoming Harry to join. “Wanna come over here, suck his pretty dick?”

Harry would think after the night he just had that he should be immune to siren Louis but he isn’t. Not any more than Louis is satiated by what the two of them did, or so it seems.

Harry slides along the opposite side of Louis as Liam. Louis body is radiant. Louis’ focus in on Zayn’s face. His movements are made by the force of every thrust from Niall behind him. The bronzy-sheen that has cast over his skin with the heat from the labor of three partners in such quick succession makes him all the more otherworldly. Harry meant to come to him to take his pretty cock as Liam suggested but instead he is compelled to place his lips on Louis’. 

Several seconds after Harry initiates this lover’s kiss Louis starts to whine as he comes. His wagging cock slaps cum haphazardly about so much of it splatters on himself, Zayn, Liam and Harry. Niall withdraws his cock to shoot his load on Louis’ backside allowing Zayn to dump his cream deep in Louis. Harry doesn’t break their kiss until he gathers everyone has begun to come down from their orgasms. When he does he takes Louis into his arms. 

“Why are you like this?”

“Because it’s what I am.” Louis says letting his body be cared for by four sets of hands.

This new experience heightens a need to get Louis mental health care. Harry speaks of this with vagueness. “What can I do to take care of you?”

Louis laying as his lovers put him, looking sleepy from being so wrecked mumbles his wish, “Let me perform. Reopen the club.”

*** 

The reopening was far bigger than Harry expected. So many patrons were waiting out the club so very early in the day that Harry and Liam had to call in extra security including some men who were unknown to them, basically buddies of other regular bouncers that could lend a hand. It was an absolute necessity to have extra muscle. Even to get staff into the club they needed the security detail so people like Stephanie and Charlotte could enter without getting lost in a crowd. It’s still daylight when Harry wanders around specifically to for knowing when exactly Louis was in the building. By routine Louis generally came in later on his show days. 

Another routine signal of Louis being onsite is the ever-present Zayn. Zayn’s roll in Louis’ history remains more vague to Harry than that of Liam or Niall.

He knows the relationship with the lads goes back years just by virtue of the photo of Shaun, Liam, Niall and Zayn among a groups of other lads at the same academy putting Louis in contact with them by virtue of his relationship with Shaun. Why Zayn was never inclined to come to the strip club for employment is a question that Harry repeatedly wonders but hasn’t pursued attaining an answer. Not until this day when one of the extra muscle hired for the reopening. 

Harry watches an interaction between Zayn and one of the hires. They have quite a long chat which is notable because Zayn isn’t typically chatty. His standard routine is to stand around by himself and smolder his coolness giving him an air of being above everyone else. Once Zayn parts from the bouncer Harry goes to the man to show polite interest as if to be expressing gratitude for the extra man-power.

“Densel, isn’t it?” Harry greets with his hand offered. 

“Densel, yes. Densel Jones. You’re the owner’s son?”

“Yes, yes. So it looks like you have some prior experience here? I take it based on your familiarity with our club-fixture Zayn.”

Densel is distracted by watching what the other bouncers are handling at other security stations so he isn’t really focusing on Harry’s curiosity as much as he is watching the activity and doing his job of being ready to step in for backing up other personnel. Perhaps this is why he’s not guarded in conversation.

“Oh well, back years ago when I worked here full time I was always having this scrawny lad come around wanting to ask odd questions. It was Zayn. He’d show up and hang around outside, eventually got brave enough to try to ask about the club. At first I was thinking he was simply some gay kid trying to figure out himself, maybe not out and maybe thinking the strip club had some offering to help him sort out his sexual identity. But then he came back one time with a picture of Louis. Mind you it wasn’t an actual photo but a drawling he’d made. Spot on of Louis.”

At this point Densel stops looking over watchfully like he is hired to do. It’s like he realizes where his conversation has led and that Harry is interested. He continues. “You know it never made sense that Louis was Twist’s son. Sort of made sense that Louis was Sam’s, like by adoption, but Twist? No. Not that you resemble Twist anymore than Louis.”

Harry has a racing heart sensation because this former employee has some information that is on the precipice of something significant based on his shift in demeanor. Harry decides to spur in this old history disclosure by disclosing something of himself to in a way open a door for more old history.

“That would be accurate, my name Styles, is my biological father’s. Twist married my mother when I was about nine. Who is this Sam that you mentioned?”

Densel hesitates long enough to takes a long, assessing look at Harry. 

“Sam Smith was a stripper when I worked here. He, she, was Louis’ guardian. Working here, the hours like she kept, she would bring Louis here. Back then the manager was Paul. Between Paul and the other strippers everyone kind of took Louis is as the club’s own. He was so small, cute, really sweet, bright kid. We did all sorts of things to keep Louis’ out of the way of your father, step-father. The lad was like, only eight when Sam first began showing up to work with him. He was too young to be left at home. It was after Paul was let go that things got complicated. Sam had a boyfriend who had been good about not coming around, married bloke by the name of Ben. Don’t believe This boyfriend knew about Louis then I saw there was this thing developing with Sam and Twist.”

Densel stops again. Assesses Harry’s appreciation for the meaning before restating his meaning. “You do know about your father’s extramarital affairs I take it. Anyhow it was this double jeopardy of Sam having a boyfriend, a boyfriend who pretended he was straight for sake of his marriage, and also having an affair with a second married man who is also her boss, it got out of control. If I had to guess I’d say Sam’s murder was the act of a jealous boyfriend.”

Harry’s head spins. “What?”

“I don’t think Sam’s murder was a random act of hate, never believed it. I knew if I pushed about my hunch I was risking involving myself in something too tricky for my own good so I quit. I couldn’t take seeing the way things might go for Louis with Sam gone. Not surprised Zayn eventually made his way into Louis’ life because he was a persistent one. Zayn used to come around when Louis had been sneaking out. All of this was going on without Twist’s knowledge.”

Harry has a chilling urge to find Louis. Too much new information clouds his certainty on things. He musters as much cool as he can in the face of this informant. “My feelings too, about Zayn, so it seems that Zayn is a good friend to Louis. Um hey, speaking of Louis I’m going to go check on him. But thanks for being an extra hand.”

“Sure.” Densel says as he resumes surveying how the other bouncers are managing at their stations. 

...

Seeing that Zayn is at the bar talking with Niall who is prepping for opening, Harry heads to the dressing room. No Louis to be found, but what Harry finds on his chair is a catalogue he left open to a page with a dog ear fold marking it. The item he has book-marked is a chair very different from his current chair. This one he is coveting has gold metallic legs, a black patten-leather seat. It’s likely Louis is already beginning to put together another plan for the next new act.

The other thing that is noteworthy is that Louis’ wings are gone. The other strippers are either too angry at Harry since he put them through the club closure or they are too fearful of causing him to reverse the decision so they ignore him. 

Taking a look in the cubby Harry where there is still no Louis which means he can only be on the roof. 

To Harry’s mortification Louis is indeed on the roof where Harry finds him is teetering at the edge by sitting on one of the shallow walls. He’s wearing his wings that are extended wide, his feet dangling from the edge that he is sat. The sight of this has Harry fearing Louis is contemplating a free fall.

“Louis!” He screams running toward him. “Get back!”

Louis comes off the ledge. He looks totally peaceful like he was merely playing around. 

“Whatever is your damage?” A smiling Louis says like it’s totally normal for a person to where wings and teeter on a roof’s edge.

“My damage? MY DAMAGE!” Harry spits out. “What are you doing up here wearing wings? Sitting right on the edge like you were going to jump?” Harry doesn’t reference the recent incident where an unbalanced-seeming Louis held a knife over him then switched one-eighty to proceed to cut himself instead. He caught up in watching Louis’ unpredictable demeanor as Louis approaches him. The way Louis is drinking in him, looking him over and a small lick to wet his lips like he’s thinking of Harry as merely a pleasure tool. 

Louis puts a gentle, playful passing slap on Harry’s mouth. It’s soft and pleasing nothing like the many times prior when Louis has stung him with the force. “Curly, I was only looking at my trove of fans. For my entire life I’ve wanted to see crowds screaming for me, like this, only in my dreams it was because of me music, but it is what it is. I am what I am. I’ll take these fans wanting to see me arse, better than nothing.”

Harry can’t. He just can’t. 

“Louis.” A heavy sigh, a long exhale of exasperation precedes his continuation. “Who was Sam to you?”

Louis does a flinch that is nearly imperceivable. “Samantha. Samantha worked here. She was me mum.”

“Harry steps into Louis taking his face in hands. “Louis. Sam was a man. A gay man right. How would that make Sam, Samantha your mum.”

Rapidly Louis spills out a tale. “My father Robert Twist had an affair with a woman who got pregnant. She didn’t want me. He took me, gave me to Samantha. She was me mum. The strippers here me family. This me home. That’s why you had to reopen.”

“Louis you’re saying you’ve lived at this strip club your entire life?”

“Yes.” Louis says in a bold lie to Harry. Densel said Louis was eight when he began coming to the club with Sam and was hidden from Robert Twist.

“Where is Sam-Antha now?” 

“She died.” Died, Louis said. Not murdered.

“I’m sorry, when? I mean how old were you?”

“Fourteen. But me father, your father, he became more into being fatherly with me after that. We’ve been over this already.”

What Louis says resurrects the idea that Robert is dead. Robert. A stripper named Shaun who Louis had a relationship. A stripper named Sam who Louis considers his mother. 

Harry is about to confront Louis more about a growing body count when the door behind him opens. He turns. It’s Ben. Ben looks unsurprised that Louis is wearing his wings and his lace jockstrap while on the roof. 

“Harry.” Ben says with a dismissive greeting as he goes to practically push Harry aside as he takes Louis by the waist. “Come on Little-one. Wanna soften that tight rim of yours before daddy’s boy brings the crowd to their knees tonight.”

Harry watches as Ben takes Louis to one of the metal goal frames. There he bends Louis over slightly by running his hand over Louis’ body. This is a common practice it seems. Louis willingly spreads his legs a little wider. Ben takes to his knees behind Louis, hands on each cheek he spreads them. Ignoring Harry’s presence like Harry watching is insignificant Ben proceeds to lick into Louis, loudly slurping. Occasionally he runs a hand over Louis’ body always quick to bring it back to make the ample cheeks keep apart. Louis keeps his hands on the frame of the goal for support. 

Harry gives up his watching. As bad as he feels about everything curious surrounding Louis he knows that his body will get a yearning to get involved in a threesome like he did when Louis was at Liam’s; Harry joining them made it a full on orgy. Harry must leave Louis to Ben. 

Frustrated. Fighting a growing confusion and a growing body count all leading to Louis. Knowing Ben keeps the police away. Ben had a lover who the same stopper was Louis’ mother from Louis at age eight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Liam, Niall, Zayn, Ben, Densel Jones (former security)
> 
> Minor characters: Steve
> 
> The one where the mystery deepens as Harry learns of another person, (Sam) a stripper associated with Louis, who was murdered. The club reopens but not before group sex with Louis bottoming and not until Harry gets pressure repeatedly from Ben to make this decision.
> 
> (c20)


	18. He is what he is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the club resuming business Harry is far too honest with Louis. 
> 
> ***WARNING***  
Rape, without much descriptiveness but pivotal to the tactic Harry takes. 
> 
> (Working on adding a chapter that has this more vaguely referenced to read as an alternative to this version. Thanks to a comment that leads to this.)

Transcription: Harry’s understanding of the mystery takes a twist 

*** 

Within minutes of the club’s doors opening to the public the venue became packed to capacity by patrons highly anticipating The Tease. Several times in the hours before Louis came on stage there were scuttles and eruptions of mild violence. Most the incidents were simply a lot of pushing and shoving. A few times more serious punches were thrown. In all very little blood was drawn as the extra security helped handle the crowd.

When it was under a minute countdown to The Tease the excitement was palpable. Harry wonders if he is partly to blame for this dangerous level of excitement. Withholding Louis from performing was a bad idea Harry realizes in retrospect.

Once Louis takes the stage to perform his three part porn act to ‘Don’t Call Me Angel’, his original music, and the song ‘Teeth’, the crowd is mesmerized. The club is at its maximum legal occupancy but it feels like there are many more than that because of the intensity of the clubbers. As Louis comes off the stage, brought to the floor by two bouncers, Louis’ wings are extended so to give the illusion of Louis’ in flight. Everyone wants a piece of Louis as he starts his search through the crowd. So many ”Teasers”, the fandom’s name for Louis’ followers, have their cocks out hoping for Louis to take notice.

Harry spots a few in the crowd who are likely to be Louis’ pick. Sure enough it’s a very muscular, well-endowed man that Louis goes for. 

Goes to, goes to his knees grips the massive dick with two hands as it is required and gets to sucking off a lucky patron that all others wish to be. For what ever the reason, maybe because the lucky recipient broke the first rule, he touches Louis ever so slight like a praise more than anything else but the unsolicited touch of Louis’ left cheekbone gets a response. Louis releases his cock, gets to his feet, steps back and stares at the bloke for a split second before saying “See ya” as he turns away. 

As soon as Louis punctuates this blowoff by flipping off the fellow the crowd implodes. Louis has to be taken into a protective huddle by a mass of bouncers which Liam had thoughtfully made sure was a count of five rather than the standard two. It takes even more bouncers to escort the huddle around Louis through the ensuing mob frenzy. 

Harry witnesses several of the security taking a pinch as everyone sort of expects Louis will complete the performance. If not the first choice perhaps a second, the entire mob must hope. To settle for having Louis simply escorted away is unacceptable. It takes the addition of the club’s lights coming up, all music off, Steve talking the crowd into awareness of consequences should they continue to show such unrest before the patrons begin to resign themselves to more peaceful conduct.

***

Hours later it’s clear what a big night the reopening was despite Louis’ decision to abandon sexual acts with a patron. The bucket that was carried behind Louis when he came off stage looked to have a ton of cash from what Harry witnessed when Zayn was counting the pail’s contents later. Zayn left with a security person escorting him well after the club closed for the night. Harry assumes precautions were necessary because the take in tips was so great. By the time the club staff has dwindled down to less than ten total employees, Louis is still playing around in the club. Harry has gone past the door to the changing rooms several times simply because he is curious about what Louisiana doing. He has noticed Louis has gotten changed into trackers, while remaining shirtless and he still has his makeup on. He’s preoccupying himself with bantering with the two remaining strippers. Strippers who Harry fully understands Louis considers his family.

Louis has a contagious laugh. That he is happy and carefree being back to performing Harry finds intoxicating. He’s sure Louis plans to go to Liam’s, or Niall’s after work for some dicking. Harry keeps an eye out for who is leaving and at what time. He kind of gathers that Louis is calculating this too or so it seems. Louis doesn’t leave with either Niall or Liam.

And then there are only the two of them.

Louis is alone in the dressing room. 

Harry can guess that Louis is waiting for something from him when he enters he dressing room. Louis is sat on his chair which has the cushion on it as it always does unless he is using it on stage. His feet are propped up on a stool and he is looking through a catalogue. It’s the expensive furniture catalogue Harry knows Louis had marked a page with a chair that is very unique looking. It’s that page Louis is making notes on when he realizes Harry is there.

“Styles.” Louis says with a playfully sassy hint. 

“What are you looking for? You seem fascinated with that chair.” 

“I am. I love the way it looks. Thought I’d see if me prop master can make it work like this one. I’m sure he can remove the cushion but he will have to see how the base is made under there before we know if it will work for mounting a dildo. So you’ll be getting a huge bill for this design process from him. He’s not cheap. Liam already has the chair set for delivery to his studio. I so love to have more than one option, you know, to mix things up, press the boundaries. Or in this case walls, speaking of which,”

Harry cuts him off with the mention of his walls. Surely Louis means his honey walls, his rim, he’s need for sex. Decidedly Harry tacks to Louis less sexually creative side. He hopes to hear more about Louis’ own music. “You really do put a lot into the creative process don’t you Louis, like your music?” 

Louis stops scribbling on the page of the catalogue. It’s not lost on Harry that Louis has used a sharpie to draw in a dildo standing up erect from the chair like he’s illustrating to scale for the second chair how he wants the built in toy made. Louis looks at Harry with the playful flirtiness but it’s a bit more measured. 

“Well of course Harry. This is what I do. While you were at a proper Academy and then Uni learning all your scholarly things I was learning how to do this. It’s me life.” Louis flippantly tosses the catalogue aside. He stands, slips over to Harry where he goes to his knees. “Now I take it we are alone so you don’t have to be shy about me taking out your beautiful, big fat cock?”

“Louis,” Harry says stopping Louis’ hands from their fiddling with his pants, “we are not doing that. Alone now or not.”

Louis stays prone, he looks up, pouts. The pouting expression given the makeup is movingly compelling. Harry stays firm. “I said no Louis. No means no.”

“No one says no to me.” Louis says as he rubs a hand over Harry’s bulge. 

Harry pulls Louis’ hands off his crotch and up to make Louis stand. “I do. I will. That is as long as I have concerns about this behavior of yours. You haven’t been honest with me about things and you whore yourself like you have no sense of your value. That thing you did, with the knife, it was literally the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. The things you’ve said about your past, they don’t align to other facts. I feel like you need help, like a serious intervention.”

Harry doesn’t like the look he gets from Louis. Is it anger? Is it fear? For certain this honesty from Harry is unsettling for Louis. The look on his face becomes one of confusion. Instead of Harry’s eyes he is staring at Harry’s chest. Harry still wears the sheer, silk shirt he wore earlier when he was on the club floor. Tinzy’s boutique has been a treasure trove of fine men’s wear fitting Harry’s taste. Louis lightly touches Harry’s chest. Harry allows this even when fingers occasionally dip inside the mostly unbuttoned shirt because he sees the level of distraught growing in Louis. Perhaps too much honesty, too fast, too intense?

“I took out the knife for a reason,” Louis starts to explain. Tiny trembles faced with Harry’s concerns start. “I thought if I cut out a heart,”

Louis full stops. He stops what he was going to say. Is he confessing? But a shroud of darkness forms on his face as he steps back away from Harry. His arms he folds across himself defensively. His bare chest, so small reveals the little heaves of holding emotional turmoil that he is not able to control. He backs off. Literally and figuratively.

“Fuck off Harry, god you’re such a fucking arse. Things don’t align? What the fuck do you mean by that? Get out now! Go home, home to your trophy home in the country or wherever it is, just get out! You’ll get your money, you can live your perfect life, just leave!”

Resisting going to sweep Louis to him is so hard for as Harry can only watch as Louis becomes increasingly, visibly unraveled. The shaking of his hands is nothing compared to the way Louis’ entire body becomes a jittery symbol that yes, Harry was entirely too honest, too fast with too much. Having Louis say the words “if I cut out a heart” has Harry convinced completely that the strip club’s porn star is seriously mentally ill. Probably made so by circumstances but none the less quite likely capable of committing murder. Maybe having even murdered Harry’s father.

“Louis,” Harry says softly.

“Fuck off, leave!” Louis screams backing away from Harry more. His skin show that he is flushed with the turmoil of Harry’s confrontation. 

“Louis, calm down,”

Louis doesn’t. He grabs a hoodie that was laying on his chair’s armrest that has a numerical seven-like shape. “Fucking fuck off!” 

Slipping into the baggy hoodie Louis darts out of the dressing room. He runs down the corridor to the stairs at the end where the door leads to the roof. Harry fears pursuing will intensify Louis’ instability. Louis on a roof, mentally unstable, is a dangerous mix. Harry decides that is is better to leave. He’ll call Liam and Liam to check on Louis. This seems the only logical thing to do.

Leaving through the side, employee, entrance Harry has a feeling he is watched. He’s sure it’s Louis up on the roof looking down at him. 

***

Harry walks the several blocks to where he parked his car. Once there he sits in a vehicle he has yet to start he feels too conflicted to know why he is leaving. How can he leave Louis like this? The lad is a proper mess. Mental...dangerous? 

The other question for Harry is where should he go? To be honest he can’t fathom going to his father’s town flat because of what is there. Signs that once Louis was a stripper, he was engaging in consensual sex with a married man. And Harry thought he was the one with secrets? Harry also knows that can't take the time to go to his family home. Besides he is to a point that he can no longer hide from his mum his fear that her second husband Robert is dead. For certain he can’t hide from her the reality of how horrible Robert’s conduct has been. 

Harry decides to head to a nearby hotel. It’s four in the morning. He’s exhausted. 

Checking in the reception attendant eyes him like he is a sight. That he is. Frequently gawked at for his beauty, he knows this time is because he is still in his club-wear he looks like he is soliciting attention. He’s given his room key and makes his way to the room.

Once in the room Harry takes a shower. In the shower he can’t stop thinking of Louis. He knows he felt watched when he left the club. Why didn’t he look up to the roof and say something that might be impactful in a positive way to soften the emotional spin he put Louis into; why didn’t he call up to Louis?

If he had would he have dared to say it? To say “Louis I love you. Let me help you.”

That’s it. He finally knows what he must do. 

Harry puts his clothes back on and he leaves the hotel. He must go back to Louis.

Approaching the club at an hour past five it’s a sleepy, quiet time for the city. For this reason he hears something far off from the club that has him stopped for a split second before he runs.

“Whoring bitch shoulda’ finished his show,”

Harry runs into the alley beside the club to come upon them. 

Four men. Two are standing, a third is on the ground his hands on something, his junk is out too. A fourth is humping what he is on top of. It’s sickening knowing before he closes the gap that these men have Louis. 

***

It should have been a threat that would not be enough to intervene but it was. The four men, two that Harry knew were at the club, one being Louis’ pick, had been raping Louis and having Harry clarify he can identify them made them break off.

By all signs they had been on Louis, each of them in him, some time. In the brief exchange Harry had with them before he took Louis to seek medical attention the idea forms for Harry that when he left, Louis soon after left too. The feeling Harry had of someone watching was accurate. It was not Louis from the roof. Instead the sense Harry gets from the four is that they spotted Louis who came running out of the club pretty soon on the heels of Harry leaving. 

Where was Louis intending to run to?

Once to the hospital, an unconscious Louis admitted, Harry starts calling. Liam, Niall, Niall says he will bring Zayn. Soon it’s the four of them at the hospital. So many questions are asked about Louis’ medical history that Harry can’t answer. Virtually every thing is left blank accept name, date of birth, basic stats of height and weight. 

They see Louis some hours later though he is sedated. Sedated, receiving fluids from an IV. His injuries are numerous. In addition to the effects of the rape by multiple assailants, he has a mild concussion, many deep tissue bruises and three fractured ribs. It’s clear that before he was subdued Louis had fought them; both of his hands are bruised and battered.

The police are sent to take a report. Harry is about to tell them the details he can having arrived too late but some signaling between Liam and Zayn have him downplaying his recollection.

Once the police leave Harry questions them, “...but why not tell them who two of the bastards were when I know their identity.”

It’s Zayn who answers cryptically. “Because we won’t have this happening again. That’s why. When it is taken care of properly the solution is final.”

Zayn doesn’t stay around to explain himself. He leaves Liam and Niall to decompress the frustrated and confused Harry. With Louis sedated they discuss the need to get the club personnel prepared for the Louis being pulled from the lineup.

By the time Liam and Niall leave, deciding to deal with club operations, Harry knows he is compelled to stay. Sedated or not he has to be there for Louis. Do something. More than ever he regrets leaving Louis when Louis was distraught. Distraught brought on maybe Harry’s honestly. The worst of it being that Harry wasn’t totally honest when he was being so harsh. Maybe if he had said what he left out, that he wanted to help Louis because he cares for him, mental-case or not. He’s no longer invested in the mystery surrounding his father’s disappearance; rather he’s invested in the mystery of why Louis is what he is. 

Harry goes to the hospital’s cafe for a snack. Returning to Louis’ room it is a surprise to find Ben Winston is there. Ben got the word from Zayn. It’s a rare thing for Ben to takes risks of his interest in Louis to be exposed. Perhaps his interest runs deeper than just the exploitation. For the first time Harry wonders how deep Ben’s dirty secret takes him. The conversation with Densel points to threads being weaved together. Harry does a risky thing.

“You know Inspector, it’s curious to me some things I’ve learned. Like how Louis thinks his mother is a gay male former stripper. A stripper that I’ve learned you had some significant role in a love triangle going back years ago. The stripper, my father, you. The stripper is dead. Unsolved murder. What makes Louis think the deceased stripper was his mother? It’s not humanly possible, so where did Louis come from? It’s bullshit to say Louis is Robert Twist’s biological child. So where did the stripper, Sam, where did Sam come up with Louis.”

The intimidation Harry expects from revealing he knows this history doesn’t come. Not truly. 

“You really ought to let other handle things Harry. For sake of your mother. Does she really need to know what her second husband was?”

There it is. “Was”, like Louis hinted. Robert was a monster. ‘Was’ is past-tense. 

“Do me a favor Ben. Don’t threaten me and I won’t threaten the stability of your lifestyle. Your lovely wife and family don’t need to be brought into this. Where did Louis come from? It’s a simple question. You’re an investigator for fuck-sake.”

***

Leaving the hospital with Ben’s oddly cryptic invitation certainly Harry fears he could be going with Ben to his death. Foul play possibly aligns as much with Inspector Winston as Louis. Harry accepts Ben’s offer. It’s relief to Harry when they go to the police station. 

Ben navigates Harry through offices for setting him up with an officer who works in the subject of missing children in the division the missing persons department. This is the department where Ben started before he made a Chief Inspector. The files he tells Harry, had been property updated to all electronic files. The officer Ben sits Harry with, Janice Blain, is a willing assistant. She is going to open files for Harry because of Ben’s request.

Officer Blain goes to the year that Ben recommends she start. Blain can’t know the backstory behind Ben saying “The person Sam Smith had been coming to the station starting about this far back and searching for a missing child. She did this for months and months weekly. Eventually less and less frequent. Maybe you can find something she missed. Our data base has a feature that updates profiles so if a child was let’s say, eight in a photo when first reported missing, for argument sake, based on how many years they were not found the database will attempt to update images of their projected appearance based on an algorithm.” 

Thus sat to the task with Blain and Harry begins. There are so many missing children for the city that it is a huge undertaking. Harry had no idea how many children live in danger in a modern, “safe” country. Disappointed to find nothing pointing the Louis mystery of where he came from Harry is about to give up and return to the hospital when Blain says something that makes him stop. 

“Mr Styles, you know I understand how this is discouraging. I don’t know why you think it’s a strictly London based search, but we do have the ability now with our expanded network to look through a larger database. We can expand as wide a search as you like, the entire country, all of UK if you like.”

Grasping on any hope Harry sits back down with Officer Blain. It’s under an hour later that a reported missing child, Louis William Tomlinson, eight, of Doncaster comes up on the screen. Harry doesn’t even need to see the projected appearances or dated maturation. The photos of Mother Jay Tomlinson, Adoptive Father Mark Tomlinson, Biological Father Troy Austin all come up too. There is no disputing that Louis is Jay’s son who has been missing for fifteen years.

The file on Louis reports that Louis was to have gone to a sporting event with his grandfather, Keith Tomlinson where he was passed over to estranged biological father Troy Austin. Troy Austin denied ever having any contact with Keith or Louis in some exchange. Nor did he claim to have any interest since he abandoned child at age two, leaving his wife to raise Louis alone. It’s a heart-wrenching family story. The grandfather maintained in his official statements as his word. The grandfather died some four years after the day the child went missing having always maintained the story that Troy Austin had arranged the reunion with his biological child. Keith trusted him he swore all the way until his last breath.

Tommo the Tease, Louis Tommo, is Louis Willam Tomlinson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters: Louis, Harry, Liam, Niall, Zayn, Ben
> 
> Minor character: Officer Blain


	19. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Harry learns about a series of murders is a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Subjects of “legalese” wildly out of this author’s expertise. Bare with me. All the plot is knitted together, characters’ mistakes and motives revealed. Hope you’ve enjoyed the plot as well as the smut. Thanks for reading! ~Typos~

Transcription: Events surrounding Harry’s discovery some history revealed 

Harry returns to the hospital having gotten assurances from Officer Blain that once Ben reaches out to the Tomlinson's they will be given Harry’s phone number as Louis’ contact and notified of his situation. 

Harry fears what the family will think when they hear why Louis is hospitalized. He also worries how one of Louis’ family could have been so cruel as to have been responsible for child abandonment. Surely either Keith or Troy or both men had to be at fault. 

What will the family think of Louis when they learn of Louis’ sexuality? Will they believe that is justifiable motive for the attack? Will they blame Louis for his fate? Harry’s own attitude toward strippers was initially not very empathetic so is it hyptoscracy to expect more from the Tomlinsons than he expected of himself? Will Louis be abandoned by them again? 

*** 

Liam and Niall are both back to Louis’ room when Harry arrives. He can hardly begin sharing the news about Louis’ identity with them before his phone buzzes. 

“Mr Styles, this is Jay Tomlinson...” 

***

Harry talked with Jay for over an hour. He could tell by the noises he heard in the background that she was already traveling to London and that she has family with her. Mark, their daughters who number four Harry learns, were all rushing to London, ecstatic that Louis is found, alive. While Jay sounded mostly excited to see her son the concern for Louis’ condition was palpable even over the phone. 

A few hours later Harry is going to the front entrance of the hospital. A text from Jay states they will be parking any minute. Harry wants to greet them before they see Louis. Their first time seeing Louis in fifteen is not going to be easy. He is not his normal sunshine. The assault left Louis atypically pale, vulnerable looking, and all too lifeless. It seems that while the four men may have not intended to mar Louis’ pretty face, any such caution it was not completely successful 

As Harry waits under the large overhang of the main entrance he is surprised to see Liam come running out of the hospital. Liam has his phone to his ear, visibly flustered, scouting the parking lot while staying with the phone call. Naturally Harry assumes Liam is looking for him so he walks toward Liam only to be surprised when Liam sprints across the valet parking area, taking a shorter, more direct route toward the hospital’s drive up emergency room entrance and away from general visitor parking.

Liam stops where there is a car that has pulled up. He goes to the driver’s side, opens the door. As Harry approaches Harry is stunned, stopped in his tracks, by the sight of Zayn who Liam pulls out of the car and helps to stand. 

Zayn must have called Liam as he drove to the hospital in need of medical attention. He’s been in a fight. For someone who is always so perfectly put together Zayn is wearing clothing that is tattered, blood is everywhere too. It is only when Harry reaches them that Harry takes in the full meaning of this Ziam ER rendezvous-vous.

A second person is laying on the back seat. A person who has suffered multiple stab wounds. Liam was asking whether Zayn was okay to get into the ER alone. Zayn was saying something about “I have to, you have to do disposal.”

Disposal? That was the precise word Harry heard. Another glance into the car at the dead person and Harry recognizes the stab victim is none other than one of the four men who assaulted Louis. Sickening and confused Harry inserts himself into this mess. 

”Liam, leave Zayn with me. I’ll take him into ER, you need to get this, this um, taken care of.” Harry says “this” because Harry hasn’t a clue what he should call the body of an assailant who deserved some consequence, but who appears to have been killed by Louis’ what-ever. Whatever, meaning what ever Zayn is to Louis. 

Confronted with the obvious so much finally makes sense to Harry. He realizes for the first time the meaning of cryptic things said like when his employee Stephanie told him that Zayn wasn’t ‘a club employee technically, but he was doing what Robert had been doing’. The suggestion was a hint of something nefarious. With this evidence, a dead guy in the back seat of Zayn’s car, Harry considers that his step-father previously handled more than the secret payouts before he disappeared. Clean-up associated with Louis. 

A hope dawns in Harry that maybe he has been totally wrong all along in thinking that Louis has been capable of something like murder. It would be understandable to be driven to this certainly, if a child is thrown into an unthinkable world, cut adrift without an anchor, where they could become that damaged. 

This new evidence creates other new questions. Could Zayn have been a murderer all along? How could he have been connected to the death of stripper Shaun, who was Louis’ lover. Or stripper Sam who was Louis’ adoptive mother? Sam was murdered when Louis was only fourteen, Shaun when Louis was eighteen or nineteen. The timing of these murders doesn’t fit well into a narrative of Zayn being implicated in their deaths, but then maybe Zayn came into this bizarre world and followed Louis’ established lead. 

“...this needs to go to the authorities.” Harry says of the body as he forges ahead in assisting the rapidly faltering Zayn. 

“Harry, you can’t ask me to do that.” Liam says. “You don’t understand. Your father dealt with this. He never went to the authorities. He had his arrangements...you don’t get it? Still? After all this time can you be so dim?” 

“Understand? Understand!” Harry is shouting loudly enough that those around them are beginning to gawk. “I understand,” Harry says lowering his voice to stop drawling attention, “that Zayn has murdered someone, a stranger who committed a truly horrible act, yes, but a murder none the less. Kinda ironic that anyone who was connected to Louis kinda ends up dead. His stripper-mother, his stripper-lover. Kinda makes me wonder if a body of Robert Twist is going to turn up somewhere with multiple stab wounds as the cause similar to how both Smith and Mendez were found. I still get flashes of the sight of Louis with that knife, during some kind of intimacy or closeness. It’s like whether it’s parent or lover, trusting Louis makes his prey placid, his contact close and unguarded against he strikes.” 

Zayn is listing in Harry’s hold despite Harry’s grip on him suggesting Harry should stop further delay and hurry Zayn into the ER but Harry can’t leave this murder victim to Liam. Liam seems uncomfortable to be left to dispose of a body.

Liam again tries to explain. 

“Harry, you really aren’t thinking. Your witless assumptions don’t add up. You do the math, you like numbers. You are good with them. You know those deaths occurred when Zayn could not have been involved. He, like Louis, was fourteen. Hadn’t even met Louis when Sam was murdered. And yes, when Shaun was murdered we knew all him, but we, Zayn, had no motive to kill him. I ask you to think logically; who was around through all that time, who had both a relationship to the club, to Louis’ stripper-mother, and also knew about Louis’ boyfriend? Who had stakes in these events? It wasn’t Zayn.“ 

Harry decides to ignore that there is a body in the car Zayn drove up. It is becoming secondary to Harry’s concern for Zayn. It also gives Harry a chance to rethink. “Louis was but for lack of rational motive, crazy as he might be, makes me question...Winston. Ben Winston was.” 

“Sure Harry, Ben certainly was, but the thing that you are still missing is that Ben had no stakes in the club, no the money in the game. Besides, Ben was in love with Sam. Sam was in love with Ben. Ben never came around the club when Sam was alive. It’s clear Louis hasn’t told you, but we know, it was after Sam was killed that Ben learned about Louis. Ben left Louis with your father. By then Sam had become involved with Robert since Robert was interested in same sex arrangements with his strippers. Something went wrong. Terribly wrong between your step-father and Sam. Sam was murdered. It wasn’t Zayn. It wasn’t Ben.” 

In a flash Harry is back to the fear that Louis is the deranged one, central to all of this. Louis’ own words “if I cut out a heart”. Words that indicate he is in pain his actions scream. 

Liam adds to the fear this is true Harry when Liam says, “And Shaun, don’t forget that Shaun had been a friend and mentor all of us lads when we were at the academy together the year he was our coach. We admired him greatly, he was a genuinely amazing person, we looked up to him. He was never romantically involved with his students.” 

Harry’s heart skips. He has no depth of knowledge about Shaun. He does, however, know from personal experience how Louis can turn from obsessively passionately physical with someone and one second later be in an explosive rage that manifests like he harbors some murderous hatred for being loved.

Liam reiterates his question. “Think about it, Ben had no dealings with Shaun, no reason to want him dead, so who does that leave us with Harry? You’re a clever lad.” 

Harry stops their progress toward ER to study Liam’s face fearing he knows the answer; Louis is damaged beyond repair. “Louis. Louis had a love for both of them. It’s Louis who began murdering people around him.”

Even Zayn, waning as he is, joins with Liam in a scoff at Harry’s apparent, on-going stupidity. 

“Harry. It was your step father, Robert Twist who murdered two strippers who were the people Louis loved most in the world; one of them for loving Louis like a son, one for being Louis’ lover. Then one day Robert decided to take issue with Louis on Louis’ kinks of having his chosen recreation with whomever he wanted when it was not for club the profits. He didn’t know Louis had been with me and Niall, only that he’d been with someone. 

”Your father became a murderous rage. Had Zayn not come along, intervened, it’s quite possible your family’s golden goose, Louis, would be dead and then your family’s primary funding source would be gone. Has Zayn been so different than your father? No. Not given murder is murder. From where I stand they are two totally different things based on their motivations. Robert Twist murdered his own gay lover. Sam was also said to be playing the role mother to Roberts’s so-called illegitimate son. What more that you need to know is how Robert also took care of a couple other former regulars who had a little too much interest in Louis after Louis became the star performer. Robert went further to begin to regularly threaten Louis if Louis couldn’t keep his interest in friends like me, Niall platonic. Robert suggested the ‘friends with benefits’ would go the way things went for Sam and Shaun. Twist only wanted Louis be getting fucked for money. Money, and a guarantee of security like Ben has provided for practice of Louis’ public porn show. 

”It lead to it being either going to be Zayn or Twist. One day after Sam, after Shaun, after two blokes Robert dispatched because of too much interest innLouis, things exploded. Zayn came upon Robert roughing Louis up, Robert having gotten the idea that Louis had been with me or Niall. The entire turn of events wasn’t premeditated. Louis was unconscious or who knows what Robert would have done next... 

“...Zayn, with dispatching intervening, well, I’m sorry but. But with Zayn that was accidental. It is also totally different with Zayn than those murders on your father’s hands. You father murdered multiple people. A lover, maybe jealously learning about Ben. Shaun maybe to keep power over Louis, to control the money flow. The other two, probably because Ben couldn't guarantee for Robert that he can control anything out of police checks on the operations of the club. Arse or not, Ben isn’t a killer. In some sick way Louis is his only connection to Sam who he loved. Zayn? Well Zayn’s motive are selfless. He’s acting in Louis’ defense. 

“This leaves us with this bloke that Louis cast off for violating the no touching rule. Zayn knows that Louis won’t be safe going forward unless those men understood there are consequences. Robert experienced that. He acted on that which is why killing became an easier thing for him. And while we are all to blame here for what happened to Louis, wouldn’t you agree that Louis only came out of the club unescorted, on your heals because you abandoned him with your pretense of being such a morally superior twat... 

“Me, Zee, Niall all know Louis fell in love with you at first sight, he’s told us that. This is why he comes to us to try to fuck away his want for you because he learned you are Robert’s son. He wants the one he has to hate. He told us that he pulled out that knife the night of the premiere because he wanted to cut out his own heart so his heart wouldn’t be under your control. You the son, benefactor of Robert Twist and his twisted owner who took his mum and his lover.” 

***

This is where High and Keira decide they have to do the unthinkable. They have to alter Harry’s deposition to correct Harry’s recollection of dialogue so that the evidence not in hand, that other people knew Zayn was the cause of Robert Twist’s demise, is cut from the story. It has to stand on what Zayn had confessed following being admitted into the hospital ER, leaving a dead body in his car. His second time killing and according to Zayn’s own confession he has acted on both accounts alone.

***

Zayn’s deposition statements on the killings: 

“I was at the strip club after hours because me and Louis were going to meet for some fun. Louis did not know I witnessed him getting beaten by Robert. Robert didn’t see a thing coming when I cut him. He also didn’t know I had learned from Louis that Louis suspected Robert had been responsible for the murder of both Sam Smith and Shaun Mendez years ago. After I took care of Robert I went back to the club. I took an unconscious Louis to Niall’s. Louis never suspected. Neither did anyone else. Not Niall, not Liam. Everybody noticed me hanging around more but no one made a connection to me and the disappearance of Robert Twist. Had I not done something, I’m certain Louis would have been...well something bad would have happened.”

Of the second murder, the accidental killing of a man who was one of four who assaulted Louis, Zayn was equally cool and candid. 

“I came upon him after leaving the hospital when I earned they attacked Louis leaving the club alone. I recognized two of them from the club cameras before Louis broke off from the blowjob. Louis usually always leaves the club if it is dark with an escort. The four of them were lucky enough to come across him alone although I think they were stalking the club. Unlucky was happen chance of me crossing paths with one of them all alone after the assault. I had no intention of the thing going the way it did. I wanted to only threaten him. He took it to the next level. I acted in self defense.”

... 

Sitting back and looking at each other Hugh and Keira don’t discuss their thoughts about what they know is not proper. They become an accomplice as much as anyone else by acting with intent to narrate the facts.

It’s Keira who decides.

“We have Louis at the center of these murders who was abandoned at eight. Found, sheltered, loved like a son by a gay man who is murdered by his employer who owns a strip club. How Ben’s story of finding out about Louis is crucial to Zayn’s motives. 

“Harry has done a great job of telling this story where we see not only is Louis a compelling person for Zayn to want to protect, but it also puts Zayn in the best context too. We have a defensible argument for some leniency in Zayn’s incarceration. It’s not only a Louis who should be actively getting mental health care, it’s Zayn also. It’s clear Zayn was in love with Louis, the phantom, the stray, then he got sucked into the tragic life Louis was trapped in. We can’t guarantee Harry we can get Zayn freedom but we can possibly make it so that Zayn is in a nicer place than he is sentenced to.

“Let’s go over Ben’s deposition for the trial again. Make sure that is tight since he was an officer of the law at the time, his statements still have greater weight.” 

Hugh loves his brilliant wife even more now than the day he married her. Once again they roll up their sleeves and sift through more factual narratives.


	20. Pixie in a Basket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pixie in a basket; the one where Ben discovers his long-time lover had a secret.

Ben’s story. 

Ben met Sam Smith, a twenty something, gay man who began coming to the police station with some vague story about looking for “a friend’s child” in the missing children reports. 

These visits went on for weeks. 

Once a week became once every other week.

Which became less frequent.

And less.

And less.

Until finally it was no more.

By this time Ben had become infatuated by this man, who identified as a woman. Indeed Ben was so physically attracted to this person he was compelled to know her. The mystery about the reason for Sam’s research, why it began, why it ended, was not so much an issue for Ben as was the need to continue to see her. 

No denying this attraction, and despite being married, Ben initiated an affair.

In their years together Ben always thought that Sam confided the deepest secrets to Ben, secrets such as stripping at a gay club, Sams likes, dislikes, hopes and aspirations. Sam also put so few demands on Ben so their affair seemed so uncomplicated. The only requirements of their affair that Sam made were few. 

Rule one. 

Ben was not to come to the strip club. Sam maintained that if Ben were to see her performances it would cheapen their relationship. Perhaps give Ben a stereotypic image that would degrade their love as something tawdry.

Rule two. 

Ben would provide a suitable location for their “encounters”. If Sam was to accept being the other woman, she would at least have the respect of one given romance. On Sam’s terms no accommodation of their romance would ever be provided at her personal residence.

It is not until he and Sam have been a for years, six to be exact, that Ben learns other secrets Sam also kept. Only did Ben learn of these upon Sam’s unexpected death. 

The first day Ben stepped into the building that housed Sam’s flat he had never crossed its threshold before. He was there for one reason. His secret lover, a gay stripper, had been found dead. He wanted to know if Sam had left anything that could connect them should there be an investigation. Ben admits that perhaps he needed to know a little something more about circumstances surrounding the homicide because he really, truly loved Sam and felt such grief. His department had already put the mystery of this gay stripper’s death into a low priority for investigation. The death or disappearance of most the disenfranchised sec, strippers or prostitutes, are simply deemed not important enough for department resources in most cases. Ben simply needed to be sure that if an investigation were opened no traces of him are connected to Sam. 

Here is where Ben discovers the reason for Sam’s two simple rules. Never come to the club and never come to the flat have one shared reason.

That reason? A little lost boy, Louis. The reason Sam came to the station and looked for weeks, months even, through missing children reports.

Ben’s deposition: 

“Two of my associates and I went to the residence of Sam Smith. My interest was to find out unofficially if there was anything suspicious. I was having a hard time with her death. We were met by the landlord. I asked if tenant Smith was seen by the landlord to be perhaps entertaining a guest who seemed unusual. 

“The landlord was clear about that saying that, ‘No.’ Sam was never likely to have guests, or friends, around much. Mostly stayed to herself. That Sam has a child, the landlord speculated, as the reason, adding that they live quietly, alone just themselves. 

“One of my uniformed associates is as surprised as me, to learn this news, blurts out a ‘What?’ with incredulity to his voice this is information of significance. Officer Danes and Ripley are both good friends as well as work colleagues, and the only people who knew I’d been having a six year affair with Smith. I would talk with them both a lot about how much I loved Sam. Confided that I wished I could give her the world so they were as surprised as me to hear about this child.

“The landlord elaborated how ‘Sam and Louis, the child are not the types to have others over. I am sure the reason is obvious, a gay man raising a young lad, lots of people would assume the worst of them just because a gay parent, not to mention Sam’s line of work. To be honest, I’m sorry to hear about Sam but her death creates a huge concern for the lad. To have been given up for adoption to a single gay person, the lad must not have had anyone, even distant relatives. I would hate to see him go to a home for boys. If you understand me, Louis is not really the most boyish of lads. Very pretty. Small for his age. Adorable and very sweet.’ 

“After this surprising information, I inform the landlord we will obviously be taking the child, Louis, in to our custody given he has no other guardian. 

“Once we are in the flat Danes asked me if I had any clue this. 

“I said, no, no I didn’t. We [Ben and Sam] had been together regularly for six years. I never heard a word about a child from her, but then she never allowed me to come to her home or to her workplace. I thought the club-ban made sense. I could understand that Sam didn’t want me seeing men getting aroused for her, her stripping for other men, that made sense. How she hid this child from me, I don’t know. It did make me think more about one of the things that initially attracted me to Sam. It was how she was looking for through missing child reports for weeks and weeks. Somewhere along the time we were together I think I convinced myself that was a phase she went through, that she needed love, someone to love. I guess I wrote off how we met as her wanting to be in a fantasy world where she was a mum. 

“Danes declares as we search that clearly there is no one [at Sam’s flat]. 

“To which Ripley points out ‘No, but there are signs there is a child, look at all this stuff. I gather the lad is into football.’ 

And Ripley was correct. There are evidence everywhere of an obsession over the sport and I knew for certain that Sam had no interest in sports. 

“The conversation between us was more confusion and concerns. Ripley asks me ‘What are we going to do? Aren’t you worried the child is involved? Or dead too.’ 

The three of us also discussed the other news that came out after Sam was found. More news to me, things that indicated Sam was having some affair with someone other than me. Ripley was concerned again about what if the lad is found dead somewhere too. Is the other person Sam was with secret from me, the father of the child? We didn’t know what we were looking at and I’m an investigator. 

“This is when I decide to take my time more deeply searching Sam’s flat. I say to Danes and Ripley that first things first. I want to do a thorough sweep of the flat to make certain Sam has nothing at home from me that connects her to me. I can do this search myself. I tell them that I’d like them to go to the station. Check for any children, male, found missing or dead recently. Also I ask them to see if the landlord has any better description of the lad, Louis. A recent picture would be great. We can’t have the department office know that I’m entirely too interested. The department considers it merely a case of what looks like another random murder of a homosexual for lifestyle choice. 

“Once Danes and Ripley leave, I continue to search. With a little rummaging around and I find a drawer where pictures of Sam and the child Louis are stored. He is a cute as a pixie for sure. It heightens the mystery of why Sam never said anything about the lad, not even once in a six years. Going into the bathroom, I look around, open the vanity over the sink. It was always a comfort to me that Sam was a very cautious person, very clean. Took care of herself well and never used drugs or anything. Inside the vanity is taped was what looked like a recent picture of Samatha and Louis, a series of them actually. These are pictures they did at a carnival photo booth where mostly they pulled funny faces, wore stupid hats, glasses, feather boas. Sam and this child looked so happy in the pictures. It was painfully obvious they were happy, a little family. 

“The landlord was correct. Louis looks so very, very pretty, a pixie if ever there was one. Because I was feeling overwhelmed by all of this I sat on the closed toilet seat to think as I was looking at the photos of them. By my side sat there is a large laundry hamper. It was odd that the dirty laundry was all piled on the floor of the bathroom instead of in the basket. I’m inspector, that this is the only messy thing in an otherwise very neat flat, is surprising. This prompts me flip open the laundry basket lid. Sure enough, there sits the pixie hiding in this basket. 

“I said ‘There you are Louis. So nice to meet you. I’m your uncle Ben. Ben Winston.’ 

“In retrospect, now, not at that time, but it was likely that while me, Danes and Ripley were in the flat discussing Louis he heard every word. Maybe he realized if found he’d be taken away as the landlord said. Abandoned he would be put in some boys home somewhere. He also had to have been devastated to just have learned the worst, Sam, a mother to him, was gone. So after I found him as I took him to my car, I realize now, nine years later, that a fourteen year old Louis began to make up a story. It is so obvious now, like I said, in retrospect. He feared the unknown, no family, no home. Bear in mind that I did not know at this time this would be his second experience with this, abandonment. Sure Sam didn’t intend to, but. So it was that as we are driving, Louis fearing where I’m taking him, that he says he wants to go to his father’s work. The gay strip club. 

“I’m surprised even more when the pixie claims that the owner of the strip club is his father. He insisted that. Claiming that Sam is his mother, the strip club owner, Robert Twist, is his father. 

“Studying his body language by looking at him in the rear view mirror confronting me is a child of fourteen who looks resolved that the strip club is where I should take him. In disbelief I ask ‘So if you are Sam’s child, by how did you come to be? There has to be an actual womb that you came from, your old enough to know that, so how are you saying Sam had a role in your conception?’ 

“It is hard to fathom how he mustered a hell of a lot of confidence for one so young. He said something like ‘It not the sort of arrangement people talk about.’ 

What Louis further insisted quite sassily I recall I can only assume way a behavior he had learned being around strippers who learn to sass and take no guff from strangers as they need to for the work they do. By that I mean Louis acted like he was in control when he was most vulnerable. 

He puffs himself up like he is big and offers up a story. ‘Me father was having an affair. His girlfriend was me birth mum. She didn’t want me. He couldn’t take me home to his wife, and that’s how it began with me father and Sam. Sam wanted to be a mum. Sam has been me mum because me father couldn’t have anyone knowing about me. She brings me to work everyday so me father can be with me. 

This exchange between us was nine years ago. It’s hard to remember exactly what I thought at the time, you know? But I am inclined to say that maybe I would have called Louis’ bluff but I distinctly remember how well the determined little pixie played his cards. He raised the stakes. He added ‘Take me to the club. You’ll see, everybody there loves me, they are me family.’ 

“That made sense on one hand, how it is that Sam came to have a child, one so secret that even I never knew about. This strip club owner having his own secrets, affairs made a child. A result from one affair with a woman from fourteen years before. In a strange way Louis’ story was all making perfect sense. Twist must have known, like I did, that Sam always wanted a child. In my case that was why we met. Her searching through missing child reports like she was looking for a stray kitten to adopt at the shelter was waht first attracted me to her... 

“The motive for Louis’ tale when confronted with being taken away from his home I did not realize at the time. I don’t know until Harry went back to look through records using our modern search engines why Louis would do that. He’d been abandoned once. So it is that we drove to the club nine years ago. Louis only fourteen. He must have been so frightened that I would discover his story... 

“...we entered the side door with Louis knowing exactly which key to use. It was early so the club wasn’t open yet for business but some of the staff are there. Security at the door, a couple bartenders, a few strippers, all of whom acknowledged Louis like a minor being at the club is no surprise. Of course that wasn’t enough for me; I had to meet the father. 

”Now here is the thing. I’m not sure why I didn’t connect how odd it was with father and son. I think that maybe it was because I was after all, confronting a man who like myself, had a long, intimate, secret relationship with Sam. Here I was telling Twist that Sam had been murdered. I think I was preoccupied with that surreal experience more than the welfare of the child. Twist accepted Louis as his, the staff knew Louis, so naturally, like he’d said, it all seemed normal. Normal given Sam was at the core and I didn’t want my secret affair coming out. I left Louis there. Only began to see him again much later. As an eighteen year old he was following his mother’s path of stripping. He quickly became a sensation. The star. Robert needed help. Louis needed love. He acted out. His actions created this fan-base because he was such a sensation.” 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character: Ben Winston
> 
> Minor characters: Officers Danes and Ripley


	21. The Trigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis wakes to his mother’s eyes. 
> 
> Harry’s hopes his legal team can right some wrongs by working through the history.

When Harry reenters Louis’ room he puts aside what happened in the ER parking lot of the hospital. 

Harry has just learned that Zayn murdered a man who was one of four who attacked Louis. Liam has known of Robert’s crimes and walked Harry to a precipice; the idea that Robert had murdered multiple people proceeding his own death. Probably Niall knows all of of this too. Roberts ability to kill, one victim his former lover is part of Zayn’s reason for defending Louis. How many other employees know what or when or how makes Harrys head spin. 

Ramifications will have to wait until later, at least now Harry knows that Louis was never a killer. 

At Louis’ side sits a woman. Harry knows instantly this is Jay Tomlinson. Behind her stands a man he knows to be Mark from the photos Officer Blain pulled. Photos aside there is no denying the woman holding one of Louis’ hands is his birth mum. She looks like him.

Or rather Louis like her.

Diminutive. Pretty. Expressive eyebrows. Same skin coloring, same smooth and flawless complextion. 

Louis still sleeps and Jay acts like she must know who this person rushing in is before he can introduce himself. She greets Harry with a smile like they are familiar “Harry! The nurses said you’d be right back, went to meet us, haven’t been away from Louis hardly at all since he was brought in,” 

To which Jay adds, “said that we would know you immediately; a tall, attractive lad. Green eyes, long hair, lovely smile.”

Mark steps forward to shake Harry’s hand, Jay remains sat at Louis’ side like she can’t let go of the battered hand that she holds in hers. Her face that lit up in greeting Harry clouds a little as she returns to looking at her son as she continues. 

“It’s a miricale. Having Louis back. A complete miracle. Just like when he was born. Christmas Eve, twenty three years ago. I knew then, before I delivered him, that his father, Troy was going to leave us. It’s really only that Louis came into this world as this easy, happy, perfect baby that Troy stayed for the first two years...”

Her pause is accompanied by some unnecessary adjusting of Louis’ covers and fiddling with his hair with her free hand. Mark returns to stand vigilant at her back like he knows to let the mother fuss over her son with her unnecessary tidings.

“...it was so ironic in a way. After Troy left I found Louis became this even more lovely little lad like he wanted everyone to be his friend. I’d put him in the stroller to take him to his daycare since I worked full time, had no husband to help support, and along our walk there Louis be this happy, friendly, loving child who liked to greet every stranger we passed. He would smile, wave, say ‘hi’. Each benchmark when his vocabulary grew he’d greet strangers with even more and more happy, lovely ways. ‘Ave a nice day’, or whatever, always so cheerful.”

Mark rubs Jays shoulder, knowing what darkness that will enter in this story. “But when Louis went missing, the conflicting stories of Mark’s father’s claim to Troy’s, I knew that Louis had to be alive somewhere. He had to be okay. There must be an angel looking over him somewhere. The police gave us so little hope after so long with no leads. All of Doncaster was covered with missing child pictures of Louis, and yet nothing was ever discovered. Me and Mark had our Lottie, then came Felicite, Phoebe and Daisy but nothing could replace Louis in our family, we’ve never given up hope for this day...”

With a sigh of exhaustion like the recall refreshed old pain, Jay goes on. “Then Keith passed away four years after the so-called exchange at a Rover’s football game. One of two people who knew what really happened that day was gone. We tried pressing Troy again. Troy maintained he’d never initiated any contact to meet up with his son. He said quite insistently that he would never have done that without me being the person to decide if Louis and he should meet. Even as a failure as he was to any responsibility for his first born that he was, Troy maintained, that even he wasn’t that cruel.” 

Jay stops watching Louis sleep to look at Harry instead. Tears in hear eyes. Tears of sadness? Some for sure. Regret? Yes.

Happiness? Most certainly?

Jay finally rises, letting Louis’ hand go for a moment, inspired to give Harry a hug. Mark closes in with her to hug Harry too. 

“Harry, we can’t tell you enough how grateful we are that you somehow made this discovery. We’ve had the hospital correct Louis’ name to Tomlinson. It seems so strange that he went through the last fifteen years with his name as Louis Tommo and yet no searches came up with him living in London, an adoptive parent raising him or not, some school records should have revealed his whereabouts. Regardless, we are truly, truly grateful. It is an absolute miracle.”

Another embrace is given to Harry by Jay and Mark. Harry knows there is a lot more discovery ahead for them but for the first time since he met Louis he feels like Louis has some anchor to stop his drift.

***

The four girls, Louis’ sisters, did not like being made to wait to see their big brother. Jay, a pediatric nurse, Harry learns, is a task master of child-rearing and has the four apparently headstrong girls, in hand with ease. Also easy for Jay is the art of medical-speak and doctor wrangling. 

Simply said Jay gets the best results for what Louis will need and seems undaunted by the report of the nature of the assault and implications about Louis working in a risky business. It is quite simply that Louis has a family who has his back. As Harry watches all this unfold, Louis still sleeping and unaware of this change of fortune, it occurs to Harry that if Louis had been raised through childhood by these parents he’d been able to go anywhere in life. His life, maybe not as privileged as Harry’s, would have been a life filled with love and opportunity Maybe fate would have directed him down that music path. Maybe he’d be adored by millions for his talents outside of those sexually explicit ones... 

...and then Louis wakes...

It is subtle, very, very subtle at first. Maybe his hand twitched because Jay narrowed her focus to scanning his face for first sign of his eyes opening. As they do Louis extracts his hand from hers, places it over his eyes in this painfully slow move as he also begins to tremble, the lone shielding-hand notably trembles as he cries.

Jay is quick to gently caress him, fingers brushing his hair, a kiss now and then placed on his head as she soothes him, some “hushes”, some “it’s okays”, “we’ve finally found you”, “we've never given up hope”.

It has to be the pain of his injuries mixed with the pain in his heart because Louis can’t utter a word. Jay senses this, Harry gathers, because she executes a decision. “Mark tell them to adjust his meds, even if he goes back to sleep it’s better for him than this,” Jay turns her attention back to Louis and softens her voice. “You need to sleep more my darling, me and your father will be here, your boss Harry too. The worst is behind you. We love you Louis more than you can ever know.”

*** 

Keira and Hugh let the writing of this statement from Harry transform to a first person in a less narrative edit. It’s important to put the minds of those deciding whether Zayn can be transferred to a place where he gets psychiatric help rather than remain in traditional prison for violent offenders the gravity of the story of Louis and how it impacted Zayn. 

Harry’s plea for leniency for Zayn’s incarceration status is not any more a thing Harry must do for Louis than it is a thing he needs to do for himself. It’s been more than a year since Louis was assaulted, Zayn arrested for two murders. Harry thought the act of telling his mother Robert’s fate, the history of everything about the club was hard a hard thing to do, but being in love with Louis and not able to wave a magic wand and make all his demons vanish over night was an even harder. If Zayn could be transferred to a minimum security, psychiatric institution, things would be better. Better for Zayn, easier on Louis and in turn for Harry too. 

Two things Louis still needs a year later, outside of rebuilding his relationship rwith his real family, is leniency for Zayn. Another thing Louis needs is the continuation of the strip club opporating for the well-being of his ‘club-family’ as they have become known, accepted by the Tomlinsons as such, odd surrogates or not.

Well, and there is that other thing. The one thing that will stay out of anything to do with Zayn as told through Louis’ story like Hugh and Keira are working to present on Zayn’s to a prison board. 

Arriving to Hugh’s office for a concluding day of giving this long deposition on Zayn’s behalf, Harry has left a sleeping Louis back at his flat, his flat, no longer the same flat that was once his step-father’s town residence, but his and Louis’ own new home not far from Princess Park. At least that is their home when Louis’ isn’t in Doncaster as he often is with Jay, Mark and his sisters. 

Jay insists making up for years of lost experiences with Louis and making them up quickly. Fifteen years lost in time is not a challenge to deter Jay. All four sisters adore Louis so it is a truly family-wide process. Sometimes it seems to Harry that if it wasn’t for Louis’ other needs, needs fulfilled at the club, he’d most surely become a full-time Doncaster lad; happy with simpler things like pub lunches on Sundays, cheap beer would be okay. 

Harry sits with Hugh and Keira. He picks up where he left off. They are finally to the aftermath in the terrible story.

“In the days and weeks, now months following Louis’ release from the hospital, Zayn’s incarceration, we’ve been going to the counseling together. I attend every session as Louis requests me to. On occasions Louis’ parents come too. Sessions when Jay and Mark join in we focus more about things they need to know about him. Jay always has a lot of questions about Sam. I think because Louis loved Sam so much. It was the first psychological control my step-father used when he revealed to Louis that he had killed Sam. 

“Another thing Louis talks about a lot in the sessions when Jay and Mark are there is the people who worked at the club. Growing up there while Sam was alive, living there full time after her murder, all those who work at the club are really important to him as a second family. Strange and alien as that idea is, a child growing up behind the scenes of an adult strip club, Jay and Mark are grateful for anyone who was giving Louis love like everyone at the club did. 

“Understandably Louis doesn’t let on to his parents how his performances became pornographic not long after he started stripping, or how much sex he has had with who or why. Louis doesn’t want to hurt them by sharing the hardest past. 

“For sure they understand that the relationship between Louis and Zayn was special from the very beginning. In their view Zayn was Louis’ boyfriend, just like Shaun had been the boyfriend before Zayn, just as they accept me as Louis’ boyfriend now. They still don’t know anything about anyone else. And like I said, Louis doesn’t want them to know what kind of performance-art he was doing. My mum knows the full, sorted history but not Jay and Mark. 

“At times I don’t know if this history is harder on, my own mum, or Louis’ parents. I believe of all of us, Louis, despite being the victim, is the strongest. He has the scars but he heals a little every day. By me keeping the club open, me coming here to have your help get Zayn in a better place and then, of course having his real family to love him unconditionally, scars or not, he is healing.

“It’s funny because when I think back to the events that lead up to the second murder by Zayn, it was absolutely me that was the trigger. Hundred percent. Louis loved me despite having every reason to not. It hurt him so badly to fall in love at first sight, with me being the son, the step son of Robert. Robert who’d abused him for years, murdered numerous people connected to him. So that feeling of love, wanting me, is why Louis created that performance, the angel-demon one. Symbolically, at least Louis wanted to cut out his heart rather than feel that. 

“That whole thing with the knife was so insane that I had every reason to fear Louis would harm himself. I made the wrong choice that night when I rejected him, questioned his sanity, then left him alone at the club. I l e f t him. That is just it, it’s the leaving Louis that rips him to pieces. We know this to be based on what Louis shared when he first began counseling. The session when he confided to Mark and Jay how it was Keith who took him to London to a football game, not Doncaster. Took him to a stadium there where he had an empty seat beside him because some ‘other father’ was to join him. The other father never came. It was Sam who realized Louis was alone, took him home. Sam who always wanted a child of her own. So for Robert to have murdered Sam, we think in a dispute about Louis, there was the second time of being abandoned. Next it was Shaun. Again Robert’s making. Robert had this pattern of taking from Louis anyone who Louis loves. 

“Zayn all this time had stayed out of Robert’s sphere of awareness. Like Zayn’s statement said, Zayn had been coming around the club, eighteen but always kept out by the doormen. Unlike Niall and Liam, Zayn didn’t try to get close to Louis through the front door by working for Robert. Zayn knew better. More than Liam or Niall he suspected something about Shaun’s murder was connected to Robert. He suspected the risk if anyone got too cozy with Louis. He made sure to only be with Louis at Liam’s or Niall’s and never did Robert pick up on Zayn and Louis. Eventually though it was my step-father’ suspicion about Louis being in a sexual relationship with an employee, either Liam or Niall or both, that lead to unleashing brutality on Louis as he tried to find out which. Zayn acted in Louis’ defense. It’s possible that if it were not for Zayn both Liam and Niall would be dead now. 

“So here were are. The night Louis tried to run after me, the attack outside the club, was triggered by Louis feeling like i was going to abandon him. Had Louis not ran after me, he would not have run into danger. By extension one deadly accident was avoidable. In many ways I as might as well be charged with that man’s murder as much as Zayn. In many ways I am more responsible for what happened than Zayn. 

“Zayn has always simply wanted to protect Louis.”


	22. Patten Leather Seat

.....  
Keira sits forward in her chair taking Harry’s hand. All of their transcriptions are finished. Depositions, trial documents, testimonies diaries ...chronicled. 

“Harry we’ve got a good case here.” Keira comforts. “Tell Louis we will move forward with representing Zayn before the board later this week. With the graphic nature of things, Zayn’s involvement for so many years it’s sure to be a compelling case to have Zayn transferred.”

“Is there anything else you want to add?” Hugh asks.

Harry shakes his head no. “Thank you. From both me and Louis. He wanted me to be sure to say ‘thank you’ from him.”

Hugh and Keira exchange a glance between each other before Hugh speaks again. 

“Now that this is a wrap, me and Keira are curious. How is the thing going with Louis and working with the new behavioral confines since the changes you’ve made at the club?”

Hugh and Keira’s question refers to how well is Louis doing with restricting himself to striptease and no longer performing a live porn act.

“Oh, well, it’s going okay. I mean he doesn’t ever get do stuff that anymore, though he has to be reminded from time to time where the line is. We took away his special seven-chair. The new chair is one he wanted retrofitted. We did not allow that to happen. So it’s simply a pretty chair with a black patten leather seat, gold legs, no built in dildo. That he has to wear the legal minimum annoys him. With a bum as fabulous as his it’s always the same sort of crazed audience on his nights, despite the changes.”

“And what about the audience? Aren’t they pressing for him to, you know...”

“Pressing? No. Not anymore. We would toss them out. Hopeful? Yes, eternally. With everything it’s small steps. Some days it’s better than others, more crowd control, but Louis...”

Harry smiles. He thinks about the love making he woke from before this meeting, how Louis rode the hell out of him, “...with Louis, there is really no control, he’s just needy, demanding. It usually takes three of us. Me, Niall, Liam. He’s just into it. But if you’re asking about the crowd control if he takes the floor, it’s established now that he’s not taking anyone for that. He’s actually started to avoid the dance floor. Ever since one time when he and I were there dancing together and he literally said I was a nightmare. Those were his exact words, that I am ‘a nightmare on the dance floor’, making fun of how I dance. Then he went on about I must hate him, to embarrass him like that, but admitted he wanted more...so yeah, he’s a mess. A total head-case. A cock-loving mess. God I love him...Zayn loves him. Liam loves him. Niall loves him...everybody loves Louis.”

***


	23. Burning

***

Harry walks from his barrister’s office for several blocks before he takes a lift back to the flat. He wanted to walk to have time to think through the transcriptions that would go to the committee serving on the prison board. That board would decide Zayn’s fate going forward. Hugh and Keira intend to take out anything that connect Liam or Niall to having any knowledge of these murders. 

The two lawyers also want to come to the club this evening to see Louis perform. Harry knows they feel strong in advocating for Zayn so it is a celebration for them. 

Harry suspects there is another side to the barristers’ interest. 

Harry is no longer a novice at the club. He has learned that it is not unusual for heterosexual couples to come to the club. It’s a kind of thing some people will use to spice up their sex lives or to fulfill some curiosity. Hugh and Keira maintain that they want to have a better first-hand understanding of Louis since Louis’ stripper-surrogate family upbringing is central to everything that has happened and a motivation for Zayn. A better understanding of Louis is simply another thing helpful for them to do their job. Harry can’t help but speculate that after they’ve heard so much about how Louis is, they too are falling into the rabbit hole and this is a way to spice up their own, relatively hetero-norm sex lives.

Entering his flat, Harry hears voices. He begins undressing knowing this means one thing, Liam and Niall are already here with Louis. It takes a lot of dicking to prep Louis ahead of a performance night. The sex is essential for Louis so Louis can pace himself and stay within the boundaries of appropriate, legal stripping. Louis’ sex-club porn no longer tolerated. 

In the bedroom Harry finds Louis has both Niall and Liam tied to the bed, arms over their heads, wrist bound to the headboard rail. Between them Louis is kneeled, a hand on each partner’s lubed-cock that he is stroking as he chides them. It seems Harry has come upon Louis, The Tease, doing what he likes to do.

“Oh thank god, you’re here,” Liam says at the sight of Harry, “this twat is being insufferable.”

“Harry!” Louis beams as he hardly gives Harry more than a brief glance. His focus? To continue to do a handjob on the other two even when Harry leans over Niall to try to kiss him.

“Louis? What seems to be the problem?” 

Louis giggles. “Well I can’t decide Harry...do I sit on Liam’s face and then fuck Niall or do the other way around, sit on Niall’s face and fuck Liam first? Both are so good, what’d you think?”

Harry crawls over to join Louis in the center of the bed between where Liam and Niall lay. Harry’s hands take Louis’ hands from them so Harry can direct Louis to lay down, chest to bed, in the space between Liam and Niall. 

“Why don’t we let these two suffer unrequited for a bit. They both look a little too eager, don’t you think? How about I eat you out first, then we can decide whose cock of the three of us you ride first, hum?”

Seeing Harry naked, a semi growing with excitement to joint the threesome in progress prompts Louis to eagerly take the recommendation. 

Excited by the idea, Louis enthusiastically lets out a tiny squeal as he parts his legs to give Harry a nice place to do his work. He tilts his pelvis, arching his back which presents his bum accentuating his curves, the transition from a tiny waist to a swell of his ample booty as he displays himself shamelessly adding a tiny wiggle of his bum before his hands move to part his own cheeks. Delicate hands parting ample cheeks to reveal a pristine entrance is exactly like the image Harry saw of The Tommo on the club’s wall on day one when he took over the business. 

Like in that photo Louis is so pretty. Harry can see no sign of Louis’ hole having been touched by Niall or Liam yet. Louis’ tiny, pink entrance is pristine and tight the way Harry likes it with every fresh start. Why let one of the others have this first, Harry thinks as his tongue licks around the sensitive tissue. He follows with little kitten licks and nibbles on the parted cheeks. Louis let’s out his “yeses”, pleas, shares his thoughts on how perfect Harry’s tongue, mouth, lips feel.

To either side of Louis and Harry, Niall and Liam enjoy knowing that once Louis gets worked up he won’t leave them unattended for long. They had already endured Louis tugging on their dicks, sucking their nips sending shivers through their core as he plotted and planned how he would like Harry would find the three of them. Being The Tease, Louis would abandon them for Harry because he likes being a tease, a bitch, certainly. Yet another thing they both know well is how despite the likelihood that Louis will come triggered by the arousal caused by Harry’s mouth, they all know Louis is quite insatiable, dare they call it “hyper-sexual”. It takes a lot of cock to tire Louis out. He will get around to fucking Liam and Niall in turn its only that he has an undeniably strong weakness for the chosen-one, Harry.

Louis whimpers are the only sounds accompanying the noises of sloppiness that Harry makes. It is unavoidable as Harry’s tongue delves into Louis’ tight walls. His hands grip next to Louis’ own and he occasionally pushes a finger ever so slightly into Louis. From the looks of both other lads, their cocks still eager, their expressions blissful Harry knows Liam and Niall can wait, simply enjoy the show. Making Louis’ skin glisten by eating him out Louis releases one side of his bum so he can slide his hand under himself the shivers and the squirming proceed his body trembling as he comes from Harry eating him out. Harry feels on his tongue take the sensation of the walls just inside Louis’ entrance spasm with Louis’ release.

“Oh fucking god H a r r e h...you’re tongue, your fucking purr-fect mouth.” Louis gasps as his orgasm passes. “More” he adds quickly, demandingly, pushing his bum up like to demandingly clarify that he wants cock right now. Louis’ multi-orgasmic ability is astonishing, rare, one of his many acceptionalisms. 

Harry flips, Louis over, chest up. Looking at the splat of jizz stuck on Louis’ tummy, Harry is amused. 

“You are an insatiable, little thing.” Harry licks up Louis’ jizz, makes sure to bite the softest place on Louis’ belly near his bellybutton before he hikes one of Louis’ legs up to set on his shoulder. 

Leaning down to kiss Louis with his cock finding the wetness of Louis’ hole by rutting against his lover underneath him. 

Harry maintains their kiss, liking the way his knob presses against an entrance still much too tight for it to slip into, noticing how Louis is kind of writhing ever so slight like he wants it anyway but refuses to break their kiss to beg. It seems Louis is using his tongue to attempt to break Harry’s resolve to take this slow. Harry loves to see how fast the act of withholding dick can make Louis cave to his neediness; he craves it so much that he gets another round of hardening.

Off to the side Liam chimes in. “You know Harry, one of us can get to fucking him right if you need to take all day about this. You can eat my cum out of him if you’d rather.” 

Niall interrupts. 

“Hey mate’s how ‘bout you both stop, you know I was here first, being that I’ve been waiting longest,” 

Harry pulls loose the slip tie securing the soft rope Louis had around Niall’s wrists giving up the kiss. “Be my guest, fuck his mouth if he begins that popping off, smack-talk as he likes. I only want the sounds of his moans, and whines.”

Louis’ eyes open wider with excitement as Harry has assistance to muffle him. Niall makes Louis so limited in noises by shoving his precum leaking cock in between Louis’ welcomingly, parting lips right as Harry begins to press a fat knob against a fairly tight entrance.

“Should I force my cock in, so you cry a little it hurts so good?”

Louis tries to nod but Niall has him gagged with cock though Niall’s not being rough or cruel in how he fucks Louis’ mouth. 

Harry has to restrain the desire to make Louis start with a burn. He elects to use the force of his fingers. One leg remains hitched, Louis split like he is, it’s easy for Harry to make Louis squirm on Harry’s long fingers alone. Only Harry’s rings prevent them from being inserted their deepest. Louis, athletic as he is, tries even though he is split, to control the way he moves his pelvis to create some pressure on his sweet spot on Harry fingers. His efforts make his pretty cock stiffen fully before Harry has begun to get with proper fucking.

“God Louis you’re such a whore for cock aren’t you?”

Louis makes a rapid head-shake, Niall lets him have a breather, brighting his lower lip Louis rapidly blurts out his desires, “Make me scream, put that dick of yours in me arse, fuck me haaarrd pleeease...”

With that said Niall takes ahold of Louis head by a grip of his hair and resumes see-sawing stroke after stroke of his length in Louis’ mouth. His fucking is a bit more rough, but with Louis taking ahold of Niall’s balls, teasing them, Harry knows Louis will make Niall come soon. Besides, Louis has this thing he does to Niall that has a hundred precent success rate of making the Irishman break; when Louis caresses a finger over Niall’s hole with a hand running the crevice between Niall’s small butt cheeks, Niall always comes like on Louis’ command. 

Harry keeps his distraction tempered as he lets Louis trigger Niall, he watches as Louis swallows all that Niall feeds him, Louis even takes care to add the finishing touches of tiny licks on Niall’s slit, giving Niall the post-orgasm shivers. When Niall takes to reclining back down on the bed he lets Liam out of Liam’s bonds.

Harry turns Louis’ face to him, kissing the taste of Niall from him, teasing Louis’ nipples with one finger as he finally begins to breach Louis’ rim with the head of his cock. The moan Louis makes through their kiss surely means Louis is please to finally begin to get what Louis wants. Stuffed with big, fat dick. 

Once Harry gets a good proportion of himself sunk he breaks the kiss. Liam moves to nuzzle Louis’ neck, such Louis’ nips, kiss his collarbones careful to not mark Louis’ pristine skin as there is a Tommo performance tonight, heaven forbid they cheapen his perfection.

“Now I’m gonna fuck you nice and hard, make you loose enough Liam can jump in right behind me, okay babe,”

Louis whines, a nod, another lip bite when Liam allows it as Liam breaks a brief kiss, his lips move to another place on Louis’ skin that he chooses to nip. 

“Does our little cock whore wanna be bred so Li has to fuck my cum out or you want a cum-shower from me?”

“Fucking fuck me,” Louis frustratedly forces out, “ufcking twat,” Liam silences Louis by popping up to his knees and slapping Louis’ face with his massive cock among it clear that Louis will be made to silence if he doesn’t behave himself. Louis is always so demanding in the first couple bouts of getting off.

*** 

It’s Liam buried in Louis when, with exhausted whimpers, Louis moans the fatigued writhing is near nothing under Liam through another orgasm. Liam’s arse is clenched during his cum-dumpbreeding Louis. Louis’ thighs lazily parted wide, he is clearly so tired from the hours of dicking that his squirms are less, his shivers harder to detect. Mostly Louis lays there, glistening, pooled in sweat, finally contented by three lovers’ combined efforts. 

With Liam staying there, his big dick plugging Louis’ hole, it’s funny that after so much dicking even Liam’s cock can’t keep the cum from oozing out of a Louis’ sweet arse. Louis has been well fucked over the course of a few hours. Now they have maybe an hour or two to let him nap, then they wake him, clean him, before heading to club to have Louis get ready for his performance this evening. 

It’s another premiere night for a new act. For certain the regular patrons have had a challenge adjusting to how Louis isn’t doing porn anymore. Nor is he selecting someone from the crowd for sucking off or fucking. It hasn’t hurt the club much in terms of earnings. People still like the illusion, the hope, the fantasy of Louis even though they don’t get to have him. Besides what Louis has taken away in terms of graphic public sex he has replaced with other interesting, creative performance art and more very original music. Most people still don’t know who writes the new music. It remains unknown how Louis has these talents that go well beyond the quality of his twerks and perfections of how he jiggles his arse. 

Those closest to him, his family, his stripper family and club employees know this about Louis’ music. They encourage him daily. Step away from strip. Take a chance. Make a future. He has his real family to back him now, not only this club of misfits.

Still Louis remains bound to the club. The place he knows best. Since he was eight it has been his home. One part of Louis recovery that Harry has made happen is finding a friend from years past who was in many ways an actual father figure to Louis. Along the path of peeling away the layers of mystery Harry found that in the beginning when Louis was only eight Sam would bring Louis with her to work. Robert never knew this, not for years because Paul, club manger of the time, and the other performers and employees basically kept this a secret from the owner that one of theirs secretly hardboured some child she’d found abandoned. This secret is why they built a little room. The cubby was not much more than a glorified wardrobe, which was Louis’ little room, a hiding place that until after Sam was murdered, Robert never knew existed. 

It was that cubby where Louis and Shaun would in later years frequently use to hookup. Like Sam’s secret, this was theirs. It’s only now that Louis has managed some healing through months of therapy that Harry decides to ask, as he wakes Louis for Louis to shower before work, one nagging question they’ve not touched on in their many sessions of therapy following the fateful assault. 

Pulling Louis so his back is to Harry’s chest, washing Louis with such care in preparation for the big night, this process reminds Harry of something he read in Uni in a history class. The process of bathing a prize concubine like the Romans, and the Egyptians before them, was how some cultures took care with to prepare the most prized of slaves. The elite sex slaves selected for their beauty were offered to the powerful, or the gods, only after they were similarly pampered. This is how it’s become for Louis under the care of Harry, Liam and Niall as Louis has transitioned from sex-club porn star to stripper. Louis gets all his mates to wear his neediness down so he keeps himself in check, then he is bathed, perhaps like he will be today, adorned with makeup, or body paint, then he does his striptease.

The other transformation, in how Louis uses more of his own original music in his performance is the one thing that Louis doesn’t want those outside the club to know. Even fewer know how some of the scarcely used vocal tracks that are mixed in, so subtle, so fleeting are occasionally Louis’ voice. This is because of how Louis hates the sound of his own voice. It’s this aspect of Louis that puzzles Harry. His only clue to it’s roots is one memory of the first time the made love on the roof and one recent event that ties the two together. 

In Harry’s memory, he woke to Louis out of the glamping-tent, at his fires pit, burning something as he sobbed. The recent event is when Harry came to Louis with a song he written, the music and lyrics in paper and insistence of Louis giving it a second of thought, resulted in Louis running up the stairs to the roof. Harry barely made his chase to follow fast enough before he found Louis crumbling the sheet of music and lyrics only to ignite it with a butane lighter and destroy it. 

Having Louis react so extremes had been a question, like many of the mysteries, Harry is working through systematically with their therapy. This afternoon however, a premiere of a new act, Harry wonders. He should wait but he needs to know why the burn. Why does Louis like the burn? The new performance this night will have only one song the public will know. Other music is Louis’ original. The one song Louis will use, Steve’s remix into his dance made perfect and tight, is Rihanna/Eminem’s ‘Love the Way You Lie’.

Significance? In their love making, the words Louis used and how they blend with the lyrics “just gonna stand there and watch me burn/ but that's alright, because I like the way it hurts/ just gonna stand there and hear me cry/ that's alright...”. 

Are those lyrics for the new premier this evening getting at something significant? Perhaps on some subliminal level? 

Harry leaves small kisses on Louis’ shoulders as the water continues to rinse away long since rinsed soap residue. Louis’ shoulders, like all of Louis’ body holds a fascination for Harry. How can he be like what he is? Such a talented, passionate, loyal person so feisty on one hand and and so soft, delicate on the other. 

Since they have fair weather tonight and a full moon the question about burning nags Harry constantly. They spend far more time than necessary lingering in this bathing. 

“Louis,” Harry says softly, “we have a full moon tonight. After the club closes you want to go to the roof? Have a fire and do whatever?”

Louis turns around to be chest to chest with Harry. He kisses Harry, being none too quick about it to return to the question. “Sure, of course. I always love it when the weather is right for that.”

Louis lays his head on Harry’s chest. Harry moves his hands to do their best to cup Louis’ arse as Louis does the same with his.

A silent prayer proceeds the hope that this is not going to be too pushy, Harry chances to ask. He knows he should wait until they are in session and like the doctor advises, let Louis decide the path and the cadence of the subjects discussed but Harry needs to know. Was Louis burning something significant that night of their first time having the glamping-sex? Then again when he used a butane lighter to destroy something that ties Harry’s feeling about him to music?

“Louis, the first time we were together up there, there was...um, there was this thing you did. You went out by the fire. You thought I was sleeping. You were burning things, paper, pieces of paper, and it wasn’t like to rekindle the fire. You were, I thought... you were upset. Maybe crying...a little.”

Harry lifts Louis’ face with a finger under his chin. With the spray of the shower he can tell but does Louis tear now? Immediatley Harry begins to apologize, repeating “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” over and over again as he kisses Louis’ forehead, wet hair, until Louis pulls back slightly, puts a hand on Harry’s lips to stop him from saying more. 

“You weren’t imagining. I was destroying things. Things from Shaun. You see I could see keeping them, not knowing the hands they could end in, like some had before. Maybe if He hadn’t found them, maybe Shaun would be alive, and maybe if I couldn’t cut out my heart to mute the pain maybe... maybe I could burn the memories and maybe the pain would stop...maybe...”

Harry pulls Louis to him a tight as he can. In the hot shower his touch registers that Louis shivers. Harry keeps holding him. 

“Have you burned all of them, these, um...”

“Love notes? Love letters, song lyrics? No. Not all of them. I still keep some hidden.”

Not letting any space between them form Harry keeps his voice soft and firm. “Don’t destroy any more. Keep them always. I don’t know him, but I’d like to think Shaun would like knowing you have that reminder of what you meant to him. To be adored my him.”

***

It is too perfect a look Louis will strip down to in his act. Taking a play on one of the songs their is an illusion of fire that Louis uses in his theatrical striptease. As the final song plays he will end up as he stands now the final touches being made to his makeup by Lyle. 

Lyle who has aged out of stripping by his own choice is staying on as an employee but in this capacity of assisting with hair, makeup and props. Lyle is one of the many who over the years has seen Louis grow from a young lad to this, a young man and has been in many ways, that family, one of the many mentors who have looked after Louis, given him what they can to fill a void and always tried to run interference to any of the club owner’s more malicious handlings. 

On this occasion he is fine tuning the gold glimmer that coats Louis’ skin head to toe. Some of this glimmer is applied heavily, so skin looks to be solid gold, other places it’s applied more transparently. These variations give Louis’ body and face contours instead of a flat, statue-like look. Simply the variation of application makes some things more prominent, otherworldly, like Louis’ cheekbones, and other things less. Louis wears what he will strip down to, which is a gold lammé thong, while Lyle does the makeup. The tiny thong has a stretchy fabric spans across Louis’ crotch fully covering enough that should Louis get an erection it’s tight fabric will maintain keeping his dick hidden. On the backside however the tiny little butt-crack strap that covers his hole has disappeared between his ample cheeks accept where it joins with the waistband and because of the application of the glimmer, his bountiful cheeks look even more spectacular and bulbous. By careful shading Lyle has created this effect. It will be perfect to accentuate how magnificent Louis’ arse is when he twerks and jiggles as he has choreographed.

This set of music is flipped from how the arrangements used to be done when Harry first came to the club. Back then Louis would use two songs known to the audience that were rearranged by he and Steve. Since Louis returned to stripping he has taken Harry’s advice, he now uses one widely known song custom remixed and two of his own songs. Some of his music even had a hint of vocals though it’s still hard for Harry to convince Louis the sound of his voice is beautiful. Louis prefers to dub in some of Harry’s, Liam’s or Niall’s.

The song this new act will use in the center pice of the the three song set is Rihanna and Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie”, thus the fire Louis uses, both real and as an illusion. 

Like all his previous acts Louis tells a story; a story in his subtle-to-start ballet moves, to less so when he gets to his strip where he will no doubt take the audience to nirvana, despite his lack of incorporating porn. It took a little time for sure but after Louis’ return it had become accepted by the regulars that they had two choices, a little of a Louis less unhinged or no Louis at all.

It seems the Tommo-fans who call themselves by the fandom name “Teasers” were all to happy to have the option of some tiniest hint of fantasy over none. When Louis bounces his bum with its nuanced gold shimmer over his new gold-legged chair, dildo or not the fans will get their dreams spinning in their imaginations, that this is all for them. The same with when his hands run over himself, flicks of his nips, the way he’s sucks a finger or two, it all tells the same story. He’s a needy little cock-slut.

While it won’t be one of them, they will enjoying knowing that when Louis’ act ends, the outline of his erection present in his tiny bit of panties, that he will be getting the cock that Louis wants, he needs, his one to take him home.


End file.
